GabyThe biodiversity of our planet is exceptionally amazing. At the same time, the exchange of information among representatives of the biosphere has always been an important part of their lives and evolutionary processes. Humans belong to this biological society, which is impossible without communication and understanding of the environment, from friendly conversations over morning coffee and reading news in the media to watching videos on social media. Meanwhile, the technosphere is also developing thanks to humanity.
How to measure data of the biosphere and technosphere?
As noted by the publication Sciencealert Currently, human data is only a part of the information exchange on the planet. However, it is likely that within a century, the situation may change to favor their share in these processes. If we assume that this happens with any developed civilization, then perhaps the approach to the search for extraterrestrial life should be reconsidered.
Scientists note that it is almost impossible to accurately measure the speed of information exchange among representatives of Earth’s biosphere. However, certain calculations can be made. The best way to do this is by observing the number of living cells and the information they exchange.
For example, according to several studies, the total number of prokaryotes (including bacteria) is approximately 10^29 cells. In 3 hours, they exchange 1 bit of information. Therefore, in total, about 10^24 bits of information are exchanged every second in the planet’s biosphere.
The total amount of digital data exchanged by humanity, or the technosphere, is significantly easier to assess. If we rely on data exchange on the internet, the total volume is approximately 10^15 bits per second. This is one billionth of the speed of the biosphere.
The technosphere is growing faster and may surpass the biosphere.
At the same time, while the biosphere is relatively stable over time (except for occasional mass extinctions), our digital data is growing exponentially. If our technosphere continues to expand at historical rates, it will surpass the biosphere in less than a century.
But what does this have to do with extraterrestrial civilizations? Regardless of whether through chemical interactions, optical fibers, or electrical circuits, all data requires energy to be created and maintained. Currently, this energy is focused on the data of the biosphere, but in the blink of a cosmic eye, the data of the technosphere could prevail.
If we consider that this is characteristic of any advanced civilization, then the predominant power of a planet where intelligent life exists is likely to be technological rather than biological. Therefore, in the search for extraterrestrial civilizations, we should primarily look for a clearly synthetic thermal signal.
However, even if we do not contemplate the search for extraterrestrials, the growth of the technosphere will have significant consequences for life on our planet. Humans are already having a considerable impact on the Earth’s biosphere and global temperature indicators. If the trend of exponential growth continues, humanity will significantly reduce the resources available for non-human life. Perhaps this is something that deserves attention.
