When the signs of life are discovered in the universe, we find very specific things based on what we know: Earth-like planets, in orbit around stars, and at distances that allow liquid surface water. But, imaginatively, there may be other forms of life that seem like nothing we have never imagined before.
Just as we have extrophiles here on Earth – the planet that lives in the most extreme and mostly hospitable environment – so there may be extrophiles in the universe as well.
For example, species that can form, evolve, and thrive in the interior of stars. According to new research by physicists Louis Encordocwe and Eugene Chudonowski at The City University of New York, such a thing is indeed – fictionally, at least – possible.
It all depends on how you define life. If the key criterion is the ability to encode information, and the ability for information carriers to auto-copy faster than their decomposition, then the imaginary monopole particles threaded on the cosmic wire – the cosmic necklace – can form the basis of life inside stars. . DNA and RNA form the basis of life on Earth.
“The information stored in RNA (or DNA) encodes the mechanism of self-replication,” Chudonovsky told ScienceAlert.
“It must have originated through the massive creation of random RNA sequences, until an index is capable of self-replication. We believe that the star will have the same process as the necklace, leading to a stable process of self-replication. “
Strings and monopoles are believed to have initially emerged in the universe as it cooled by the Big Bang, and a microscopic soup of quark-glued plasma that filled it with a symmetrical phase transition and condensed into matter – such as vapor condenses. . Liquid.
Although we have yet to find cosmic strings (single dimensional linear objects) or monopoles (elementary particles with only one magnetic pole), much thought has been given to how they will behave.
In 1988, Chudnovsky and his colleague Alexander Vilenkin, a theoretical physicist at Tufts University, predicted that cosmic stars could be captured by stars. There, pull the stormy wire until it forms a wire network.
According to a new study, cosmic necklaces form a sequence of symmetrical breaking phase transitions. In the first stage, monopoles emerge. In the second, strings.
This can produce a monopole bead and a stable configuration of two strings, which in turn can be combined with one-, two- and three-dimensional formations – as in the case of molecules joined by chemical bonds, the researchers say.
A one-dimensional necklace would be unlikely to carry information. But more complex compositions could potentially – and they could last longer to replicate, feeding the fusion energy generated by the stars.
“Compared to the lifespan of a star, its lifespan is a spark of instant light in darkness. The important thing is that such a spark produces more sparks before it is removed, thus providing longevity of the species,” the researchers write.
“The complexity developed by mutations and natural selection increases with the number of passing particles. As a result, if the lifespan of self-replicating molecular species is as short as the lifespan of many volatile composite molecules, they can quickly evolve into enormous complexity.”
Fictionally speaking, it is possible that such a life-form could lead to the development of intelligence, and perhaps even serious smarts, says Chudnovsky.
It is a feast to imagine what such species will look like. But you don’t need to know how they feel to find signs of their presence. Because such organisms would use some of the power of their host star to survive and propagate it, the stars that feel cooled faster than models of stars may be the hosts that researchers call “nuclear life”.
Some such stars have been observed, and their slightly accelerated cooling is still a mystery. It can be a good place to see stars that fade without being clearly understood – EPIC. Like 249706694. Researchers have noted that attaching these stars to nuclear life would be an extremely long bow to draw. But there are interesting inconsistencies. And also interesting possibilities.
“They will evolve very quickly, so they could find a way to explore the universe beyond their stars, as we have done,” Chudnovsky told ScienceAlert. “They can establish conversation and travel between the stars. Maybe we’ll find their presence in space.”
It’s all very theoretical, but wild ideas can be a great way to innovate. Researchers plan to continue their line of investigation by developing similarities to cosmic necklaces in stars. It may not lead us to shining star aliens – but even if it does, it can give us a better understanding of cosmic stars and monopoles.
And, honestly? It’s a really fun thing to think about.
“It’s a beautiful idea that the universe is full of intelligent life that is so different from ours that we failed to recognize its existence,” Chudnowski said.
Research has been published in Letters in Higher Energy Physics.
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