In a recent article published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, researchers propose the intriguing possibility of alien dinosaurs living on other planets. This theory is based on the oxygen levels present on Earth during the dinosaur era, which were much higher than they are today.
The study suggests that the high levels of oxygen, reaching 30% compared to the current 21%, could have contributed to the massive size of many prehistoric creatures. This leads researchers to advocate for examining planets with similar oxygen levels and expanding the search to include other “extinct” compounds. By doing so, they hope to enhance the chances of discovering planets capable of harboring life, even large and complex ones resembling dinosaurs.
Lead author Rebecca Payne explains, “The Phanerozoic represents only about the last 12% of Earth’s history, but it encompasses nearly all of the time when life was more complex than microbes and sponges. These faint chemical signatures are what you would look for elsewhere if you were searching for something more advanced than a single-celled organism. And who knows, maybe there are other dinosaurs waiting to be found out there.”
This perspective challenges the traditional view of extraterrestrial life, suggesting that planets with the right oxygen and chemical conditions could potentially support life forms similar to those of Earth’s distant past.
The research highlights the importance of searching for signs of a Phanerozoic stage on other planets, a period during which animal and plant life proliferated on Earth. This could be a critical step in the quest for extraterrestrial life, potentially leading to the discovery of alien dinosaurs or other complex life forms beyond our planet.