Top 5 Fun Alien Questions Kids Often Ask and How to Answer Them Scientifically

Tell your child: "Aliens definitely exist and may have been living on Earth for a long time, right next to us." This is the statement of Dr. Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut to travel into space. According to Dr. Sharman, in an interview with The Observer magazine, life based on Carbon and Nitrogen, as it is on Earth, "cannot be replicated" elsewhere, but life could exist in a different form, based on other living elements. The universe is vast, with billions of stars, so there's no reason to believe life only exists on Earth.

Here's what you need to know: Aliens could look completely different from anything we've seen on Earth, and they might be living alongside us in a form that we cannot perceive with the naked eye or recognize if we do see them. The search for extraterrestrial life is a topic of interest for scientists worldwide. While no concrete evidence has been found so far, researchers believe it’s only a matter of time before we make a breakthrough. Recent scientific studies suggest that our understanding of "biology" and "habitable planets" could be evolving. With our current knowledge, it's possible that humans have "missed" a clue about alien life.

Tell your child: No scientist has ever been able to confirm whether aliens are friendly or scary. All we have are pieces of evidence that suggest aliens might exist. For example, the most famous UFO encounter involving the U.S. Navy is the UFO event involving the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier task force on November 14, 2004. NASA recently confirmed that the number of exoplanets beyond our Solar System has reached thousands, and this number is expected to keep growing as we improve space technology and venture into other regions of space.

Here's what you need to know: On November 14, 2004, a training flight near San Diego (USA) became an unforgettable mission for Commander David Fravor, a mission he still can't explain. The incident is known as the USS Nimitz UFO incident of 2004. It took place during a combat exercise in the Pacific off the southern coast of California. Pilots from six F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters reported spotting "something" in the sky, and this object appeared on the radar of both U.S. Navy ships and other aircraft in the area. This may be all the evidence you can share with your child, but keep in mind that there's no certainty about this being the correct answer, as even scientists can't yet explain this phenomenon.

Tell your child: Extraterrestrial life, or aliens, refers to beings that exist and develop outside of Earth. Most scientists believe that if life exists beyond Earth, its evolution likely occurred independently in various parts of the universe.

Here's what you need to know: Currently, there is no conclusive evidence to prove that life exists beyond Earth, though some cases are still under debate. Some people believe that certain unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have extraterrestrial origins (see Extraterrestrial Hypotheses), along with claims of alien abductions, which most scientists dismiss. Most UFO sightings are explained as either man-made objects, astronomical phenomena, or hoaxes. This remains a question without an answer. However, if your child asks, you can answer them this way to encourage their curiosity to explore this fascinating field!

Tell your child: The existence of aliens has been a topic of debate for centuries. As modern science and technology advance, more people are interested in this question. Many individuals dedicate their time to searching for extraterrestrial life, often called "alien hunters." Recently, Scott C. Waring, a well-known alien hunter, claimed to have discovered an alien in Antarctica. Using Google Earth, he captured an image of a strange creature about 20 meters tall, next to a "doorway" 22 meters high.

Here's what you need to know: While the possibility of chemical life beyond Earth is discussed, there are still tricky questions about evolution and form. What might extraterrestrial beings look like? Science fiction has long portrayed this in two ways: beings very similar to humans, or in some cases of hostile invasions, as reptilian creatures. Ancient descriptions of extraterrestrials often describe them as having green or gray skin, large heads, and four limbs with four or five fingers — essentially humanoid with a large brain suggesting immense intelligence. Sci-fi has also envisioned other forms of extraterrestrial life, such as animal-like or insectoid creatures. This is a challenging concept even for adults. Therefore, if your child asks about it, you can refer to the published materials to help them understand this complex topic better.

Tell your child: It is believed that life forms, such as bacteria, could exist within our Solar System and beyond. This hypothesis is based on the vast size of the universe and the proven laws of physics in observable regions of space. Scientists like Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking argue that there is no reason why life couldn't exist elsewhere in the universe. Currently, potential places where life might have developed include Venus, Mars, Europa (a moon of Jupiter), and two moons of Saturn—Titan and Enceladus—along with Kepler-22b, a planet similar to Earth. However, no one has definitively determined how likely alien life is to exist.

Here's what you need to know: All life on Earth is based on carbon and uses water as a solvent for biochemical processes. Life beyond Earth could potentially use these components as well. However, other elements and solvents might also support life. Silicon seems to be a possible alternative to carbon in this regard, though it is still uncertain. Some theories suggest that silicon-based life could exist at higher temperatures, such as on planets closer to their star. Other theories propose life forms that could use ammonia instead of water, but this is considered rarer. It's also possible that there are other elements in the universe that react similarly to carbon or in entirely new ways, and further still, extraterrestrial life may exist that relies on physical phenomena rather than chemical reactions.