Sreedhara Somanath, head of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), recently shared his thoughts on extraterrestrial life during a podcast interview.
In the interview with host Ranveer Allahbadia, Somanath expressed his firm belief in the existence of extraterrestrial life.
“Absolutely, without a doubt,” he stated. “My conscience says yes, even though I have no proof. As Chairman of ISRO, I am telling you this. There are definitely aliens in the universe.”
For Somanath, the term “aliens” refers to “living systems and cultures in other parts of the universe.”
He speculated that if these alien civilizations were just a thousand to ten thousand years ahead of us in technological advancement, they would probably be able to visit Earth. According to him, our planet could be a zoo for such curious visitors, who could observe us without our knowledge.
“Aliens mean living systems and cultures in other parts of the universe. If they were just a thousand or ten thousand years ahead in technology, they would definitely visit us.”
Despite his confidence in the existence of extraterrestrial life, Somanath expressed caution about the prospect of encountering these creatures.
He pointed out the interconnectedness of life on Earth, noting that all organisms – from plants and bacteria to fish, animals and humans – share a common evolutionary origin.
“The biology is such that all life forms on Earth are connected in some way,” he explained.
However, life that developed on another planet may have developed along completely different lines. Somanath warned that alien life forms may not share our genomic or protein structures, which could pose extreme dangers if contact were made.
“When two life forms come into contact, one must dominate the other. This is the nature of life: one will not allow the other to survive; it must surpass and destroy the other,” he declared.
The ISRO chief suggested that unless these aliens possess the consciousness to recognize the fundamental differences between us, and choose to maintain a safe distance in terms of biology or chemistry, any interaction could be catastrophic.
“Unless these aliens wake up to this and realize that we are different and choose to remain disconnected in terms of our bodies or our chemistry, it will be catastrophic,” he concluded.
