New Delhi, India

The universe is filled with billions of celestial bodies, galaxies, exoplanets, stars and more. But Earth seems to be the only place in this vast world harbouring life. At least that's what years of research have shown. Humans have been trying to make contact with other alien civilisations but have not succeeded yet. So are we alone in the universe?

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Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief S Somanath doesn't seem to think so. Speaking to Ranveer Allahabadia on his podcast, Somanath said that considering the technological advancements human beings have made in the past years, it seems only apt that there are several alien civilisations spread out in the universe that are at different stages of technological advancements. 

He stated that different technological and evolutionary stages mean that these alien civilisations are likely interacting with the universe in ways human beings cannot perceive. 

"Imagine there is a civilisation out there just 200 years behind you, and another civilisation 1,000 years ahead of you," Somanath said. 

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"Alien systems which are 1,000 years more progressive than us will always have been here," he said, stating that they are "much more evolved" than us and are beyond our current understanding or detection capabilities.

As human beings work to advance their technology and reach a better understanding of the universe over time, other civilisations that have been around for many more years likely already know much more and are living a life we cannot understand.

Human beings, he says, are relatively younger in the cosmos and so such civilisations may reside in the universe that are far ahead of us. So while we are still trying to find them, they are likely around us and exist in ways we don't know yet. 

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Somanath added that "origins of life and much evolved [forms]... are everywhere in the universe."

Also read: Alien search: SETI Institute launches probe for low frequencies across galaxies in first study of its kind

Should humans contact alien civilisations?

"I would be happy to never be in contact with aliens," Somanath warns. Sounding a cautionary note, the ISRO chief says coming in contact with alien civilisations might come with several risks. He says that they might have entirely different genomic and protein structures from us and might prove to be a danger to life on Earth. 

He also warned that interaction between different life forms might also lead to conflict and a fight for dominance.