The search for extraterrestrial life in the universe or indicators of life in the universe usually focuses on very particular factors, especially taking into account what we know about our planet, which is, so far, the only known place in the cosmos in the world. that life exists. Thus, we take into account exoplanets orbiting distant suns. However, there may possibly be different kinds of life out there that are unlike anything we’ve ever imagined before. And a new theory proposed by a team of researchers in New York suggests that an extreme form of “nuclear life” could be living inside stars.
Have we missed a source of possible extremophilic creatures? (the stars themselves)
Just as we have Extremophilic organisms right here on Earth, organisms that inhabit essentially the most excessive and apparently inhospitable environments that the planet supports, such as tardigrades that are capable of surviving a radioactive explosion a thousand times greater than the one that would suppose the death for a human being or bacteria like Thermophilus aquaticus , there could also be Extremophiles within the wider universe.
In this new approach published in the journal Letters in High Energy Physics , species could be born, evolve and thrive inside … the interior of stars. It is a curious hypothesis of the physicists Luis Anchordoqui and Eugene Chudnovsky of Metropolis College in New York, which offers, hypothetically, a minimum of potential.
Everything is based on the way we outline or define life. If the key standards are the flexibility to encode information and the flexibility of these information carriers to self-replicate faster than they disintegrate, then hypothetical monopole particles strung on cosmic strings – cosmic necklaces – can write the premise of life. within the stars, very similar to the type of DNA and RNA, which shapes organic life here on Earth .
“The information stored in RNA (or DNA) encodes the self-replication mechanism”, clarifies Eugene Chudnovsky, co-author of the work.
Existence of ‘nuclear life’
“Its appearance must have been preceded by the massive formation of random RNA sequences to form a sequence capable of self-replication. We believe that a similar process would happen with the necklaces in a star, which would lead to a constant process of self-replication” , comment the authors.
According to the new study, cosmic necklaces can form in a series of phase transitions to break symmetry. Monopoles appear in the first stage. In the second, the cosmic strings.
Humanity has yet to detect these one-dimensional cosmic strings and the elementary particles with a single magnetic pole that create them (monopoles), but the new study postulates that these one-dimensional cosmic strings could be formed into one-dimensional, two-dimensional and three-dimensional structures, largely of the world, in the same way, atoms are joined by chemical bonds to form organic molecules. These cosmically “complex” structures would eventually survive long enough in the extreme nuclear furnace at the heart of a star to replicate while harnessing fusion energy, which, according to the theory, causes the star to dim.
” Since they would evolve very quickly, they could find a way to explore the cosmos beyond their star, as we have ,” continues Chudnovsky. “They could establish communication and travel between stars. Maybe we should look for his presence in space. “
For now, the researchers plan to develop simulations of the cosmic collar behavior in stars to test their theory of nuclear life, while also examining stars like EPIC 249706694, which dim erratically and without explanation.
This is an extraordinary and crazy theory , but we cannot deny that concepts of this type are often a good method for making new discoveries. It may not lead us to this strange way of life, but even if it doesn’t, it can offer us a greater understanding of cosmic strings and monopoles.
“It is a fascinating thought that the universe could also be filled with intelligent life so diametrically different from our own that we do not recognize its existence,” concludes Chudnovsky.
Referencia: Can Self-Replicating Species Flourish in the Interior of a Star? Luis A. Anchordoqui City University of New York Eugene M. Chudnovsky City University of New York Letters in High Energy Physics DOI: https://doi.org/10.31526/lhep.2020.166
