In an age where weaponized fear challenges our very perception of reality, science boldly goes where some wish we would not go. They interface with big questions around the universe, our planet and why we are here. Does alien life exist, or are we alone? Do we fear asking these big questions because our society tells us to? Can science bridge the gap?
Many would argue that the job of a scientist is just that. I partly agree, because science explores, discovers, and informs society of its findings using scientific methods. Will society listen to even the most compelling of scientific cases? In our current times, the spike in anti-science sentiment is a transitory example of why science must persevere.
Science Fact: Truth vs. Fiction
The notion that science must be always right is just wrong. Science as a discipline continuously learns as it searches for not only facts but also their context. From Galileo’s 16th century findings on Earth’s actual position in our solar system, to modern day attacks on science, the list is long in the battle between scientific fact and manufactured fiction.
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Polarization in any information network is a good indicator of how healthy it is. When a polarized position opposes science, it raises questions about the health of the involved society. One of the many polarized points in society is the existence of extraterrestrials. Is ET real?
Written off as a bastion for eccentrics and the imbalanced, this fact only reflects our ignorance concerning the topic. Our societal experience and current level of knowledge cannot clearly prove or disprove the existence of extraterrestrial life. Yet, science never stops learning. Can society say the same?
Alien Life on K2-18B: Science Challenges Its Own Findings
A Cambridge science team using the James Web telescope detected a planet with earth like properties capable of supporting life. K2-18b, one hundred and twenty-four light years from earth, returned a profile that not only supports life, it challenges our understanding of our place in the world.
The Cambridge science team found K2-18b to contain the essential elements of life. Ten years later, their studies continue to excite many in society. The April 17th, 2025 paper reports on the possible detection of alien life in the exoplanet. Yet, the team themselves question their findings in a healthy process of scientific skepticism.
In our current information climate, their report on the possibility of alien life will be the subject of attack via disinformation and other weaponized means. Yet, science persists in their search for truth via scientifically learned facts and their context. With K2-18b, the detection of two sulfur-based molecules, known as DMS and DMDS, is the basis of their report on the possibility of alien life.
Both molecules relate to microscopic lifeforms on Earth, ergo the connection. However, science persists with a healthy skepticism by questioning its own findings. Is Earth comparable to K2-18b? Can some other composite on K2-18b be responsible for this detection? The need to be definitive, not only in fact, but in context drives the quality of science and its actual value to society.
Society, Alien Life And Science: Our Present and Future
I cannot say society appreciates or respects what science does in equal measures as we travel the globe. What I can say is that science exists as a force for good and evil in our lives. It all depends on who is using its findings. Various civilizations have ridiculed and suppressed for thousands of years the notion of extraterrestrial life, yet it popped up science’s ongoing discovery of our universe.
ET still may not exist, but shouldn’t we all become more open-minded without letting our brains fall out? Fantasy and delusion may comfort many throughout our lives. However, it is science that ensures we can learn something about our world, and ourselves, as we travel down life’s path.
About the Author
As I move onto my next authoring project, I will post less frequently on the real-world issues linked to my novel, From Terror to Valor: Echoes and Shadows. My next project, Hindsight Station, will initially be a progression science fiction, web-novel delivered via Patreon and eventually another web serial platform.
John is a versatile author known for his gripping fiction narratives in the thriller, action, and science fiction genres. With a background as a journalist since 2016, and expertise in cloud technologies as an engineer; John brings a unique blend of storytelling prowess and technical acumen to his work.
