Humans have been curious about space, which has led to many questions but few answers. One of humanity’s major interests is space exploration and learning more about its deepest and darkest mysteries. In the quest to seek answers, several exploration missions have been launched, but there is still much to be learned.
Yuri Milner has started Breakthrough Initiatives, which is a chain of programs that lead toward exploring the universe through different research fields and scientific tools. Its Breakthrough Listen program is based on cutting-edge and upcoming technologies that are dedicated to working throughout the year to search for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. It is the biggest interstellar signal investigation project ever, with a $100 million investment. Another initiative by Yuri Milner is Breakthrough Starshot, which supports interstellar transportation ideas. The aim is to reach star Alpha Centauri, which is roughly 4.37 light-years away from Earth, by a fleet of gram-scale probes called Starchips that will be constructed as part of Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Starshot project.
The recent revelations by NASA about space are astonishing. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), NASA’s infrared telescope, was launched from Kourou in French Guiana on December 25, 2021. As it orbits the sun, JWST is roughly 2 million kilometers from Earth. The James Webb Telescope has discovered the 300 million-year-old cosmos’ earliest galaxy. With its vastly enhanced infrared resolution and ultra-sensitive properties, it is NASA’s largest optical telescope that can examine objects that are too ancient, far away, or invisible for the Hubble space telescope. Researchers have identified two possibilities for the earliest galaxies in the cosmos, GLASS-z11, and GLASS-z13, by analyzing data from the James Webb Telescope’s early scientific activity.
Interestingly, the galaxy is currently located 33 billion light-years from us; whereas, light takes nearly 13 billion years to reach us due to the universe’s rapid expansion. It is still unclear to scientists how and when the earliest galaxies came into existence.
Yuri Milner and ‘The Eureka Manifesto’
The Israeli physicist Yuri Milner is also a billionaire, internet investor, and humanitarian. He has been recognized as one of the most significant investors in the information technology industry worldwide. In addition, he established the well-known investment company DST Global, which is considered to be the world’s biggest venture capital organization. As a former physicist, Yuri Milner is focused and determined to explore space to find a means of human survival. He also explains his ideas and theories in his book, “Eureka Manifesto.”
“Eureka Manifesto” expresses Milner’s opinions on humanity’s place in the cosmos and also how humans need a specific long-term vision to prevent extinction in the upcoming years. The book also justifies Yuri Milner’s focus on learning more about the functioning of the cosmos. It describes a “universal story” through which life evolved from energy and matter and was shaped into various life forms. According to Yuri Milner in “The Eureka Manifesto,” we should prioritize scientific development so that we are equipped to continue that story, including avoiding existential risks.
Milner also believes that no species, no matter how strong or advanced, is safe from extinction. According to him, the best course of action is to increase our skills and invest in resources so that humans will be able to move into space for their survival. In “The Eureka Manifesto,” Yuri Milner also expressed the importance of understanding the cosmos, which might be the only hope for eliminating human extinction.
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