A new study argues that physical limitations could be stopping aliens from leaving their own planets, even if they want to. It also argues that the Drake Equation is insufficient and should consider more possibilities.
Drake's Equation
The Drake Equation was formulated by Frank Drake, an astrophysicist, back in 1961. The equation looks into why humanity is yet to encounter an alien civilization.
The equation takes into account several factors, such as the number of stars with orbiting planets, the star formation rate, and the planet fraction with a capacity to foster and maintain life.
Trapped Aliens?
Now, as part of the new study entitled "Introducing the Exoplanet Escape Factor and the Fishbowl Worlds (two conceptual tools for the search for extra terrestrial civilizations)," professor Elio Quiroga Rodriguez from the Universidad del Atlantico Medio argues that the equation did not have a sufficient coverage.
The professor suggests the possibility that liquid-dwelling aliens and super-Earth civilizations could be trapped on their own planets because of physical limitations despite wanting to leave.
As part of the study, the professor argues that the Drake Equation must factor in two other possibilities. The first possibility is that civilizations on planets that are significantly bigger than Earth would require remarkably higher velocities for escape in order to surmount the strong gravity of their planet.
If this were too high, extraterrestrials could be unable to depart from their planet with any conceivable fuel amount. There would also be no viable rocket structure, at least with any known materials, that would be able to withstand the pressures that come as part of the process.
The second one involves the consideration of fishbowl worlds, where the impetus for the development of communication technologies over long distances is remarkably lower. This is due to how messages can already move through long stretches without requiring the amplification of complicated technology in fluid conditions.
Professor Rodriguez argues that for such marine species, communication devices would be unnecessary for communication. Such a civilization could not be communicative and may not be accounted for in the Drake equation.
The professor notes in the study that telecommunications technologies could never emerge within such worlds, despite possible housing a fully developed society.
There are also other possible circumstances that could trap alien societies in their home planets. For one, on a planet with an unbroken and continuous cover of clouds, the night sky would never be visible. This could affect the potential civilization, as stars would never be visible and the civilization may never know of their existence.
For ocean worlds, any possible inhabitant would have a remarkably limited viewpoint of the universe, as these worlds tend to have oceans and ice shells with a thickness of a couple of kilometers.
Overall, this notion comes as an addition to the considerable conundrum that humanity is faced with today.
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