We have all seen or heard of a movie about aliens taking over the Earth. The concept of what aliens look like or what they need is varied. The article mentions that if aliens came to Earth they would need the same molecules that we need and are present on Earth. This means that the aliens wouldn't be that different from us. Sure they live on a different planet but they are just like us and need the same resources as us. This matters because then there will be more planets other than Earth that is habitable to live on, because they have the right resources. But how long before we find it, well the universe is bigger than you might think.
Look at the picture of the Milky Way galaxy above. This is the galaxy that we live in. Now look real close for a tiny dot near the center. That is a star, just like our sun. The dot you found may not be our solar system but we are in there somewhere. There are more galaxies in the universe but are far away. Mentioned in the article, we see a galaxy and the light from it takes billions of years to get to Earth. So essentially we are seeing the galaxy in the past and not how it is today. This means that there may be more galaxies that are farther away that are just forming to us because it has formed billions of years ago and just reaching us for a total travel time of billions of years. This matters because the more galaxies we discover the chance of life is more possible. So what might life need to survive on a planet.
We as humans need basic molecules to survive and have been around since the beginning of life on Earth. We have been looking to our neighbor Mars to see if there is any life and scientists have found something. They have found, according to the article, traces of essential molecules for life to survive. This means that if Mars has the right resources then life is possible to survive there. This matters because if there is possible life on Mars then we may not be the only other life in the universe. You may be think that there might be more ingredients for life to survive, and there is.
Life as we know it needs components to survive. When life first started here we had all of the right things for survival and life. The article says that the 5 things needed are oxygen, nitrogen, the right temperature, water, and nothing that can kill you like radiation. This means that if a planet has these things then life is possible to be living there. This matters because of a planet has the right necessities then we possibly know that there is other life in the universe. But how will we know and look at all of the infinite planets in the universe? The answer is with the right technology.
As we progress into the future, technology gets more and more advanced. So we may get in the future a piece of technology that will solve many questions about space. In the article it talks about the future and the technology they are trying to create that will be able to see other solar systems and study their geographical features and atmosphere. This means that in the future we might find a planet that has life on it. This matters because then we will know that we aren't the only living creatures in the universe and may be able to learn about them. So after we progress and evolve we will be able to explore the universe and find out the answer of the question everyone has been asking. "Are we the only living things in the universe?"