A Swiss physicist who won the Nobel Prize stated that if Earth is destroyed, humans should not consider colonizing other planets as a backup plan, a report published at NP News.
The work completed in 1995 that resulted in the identification of the first planet in an extrasolar system has now earned Michel Mayor the Nobel Prize (an exoplanet).
He and his doctoral student Didier Queloz started a branch of inquiry that has since identified more than 4,000 exoplanets, most of which are expected to be permanently outside of our migration range, using specialized instruments at his observatory in the south of France.
This week, shortly after accepting the honours, the mayor stated as much. He claimed that if life on Earth becomes impossible, mankind must give up the idea of relocating to another planet.
The 77-year-old Swiss astronomer, who was a professor at the University of Geneva at the time, told AFP that it was “completely crazy.” Since then, thousands of exoplanets have been found, ushering in a revolution in contemporary astronomy.
The study of potential extraterrestrial life, which had previously only been discussed by philosophers, was introduced to the field of astrophysics by Mayor and his colleague Queloz.
The scientist, however, is adamant that the dream of colonization is distinct from theoretical research and must be made explicit.
“Let’s be clear: we’re not going to migrate there if we’re talking about exoplanets.”
In the interview, the laureate emphasised the need to reconsider the idea that, should something go wrong on Earth, we can just pack up our belongings and move to another planetary system.
“Using the means at hand now, we’re talking about a journey that would take hundreds of millions of years. Our Earth, which is lovely and is still completely habitable, needs to be taken care of, she remarked. It contradicts certain extremely popular current viewpoints.
