A new study considers the possibility that intelligence could evolve to become ‘planetary’, a characteristic of entire worlds, not individuals
An international team of researchers has just proposed the existence of a ‘planetary intelligence’, that is, of entire worlds capable of behaving intelligently. Normally, intelligence is seen as a property of individuals, although the term can also be applied to all kinds of groups, from social groups of humans to insect colonies or even to the group behavior of viruses.
And now, an international team of researchers is wondering if it would be possible to observe intelligence on an even larger scale: an entire planet. Can we speak of ‘intelligent planets’? In a study led by astrophysicist Adam Frank of the University of Rochester and published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, scientists explore the consequences of this tantalizing question and come to some surprising conclusions about Earth itself.
“An open question – the scientists write – is whether or not intelligence can operate on a planetary scale. And if so, how could a transition of intelligence to that planetary-scale occur, whether it has already happened or not, or whether something like that It’s on our short-term horizon.”
The answer is, at the same time, a yes and a no. According to the study, indeed, it would be possible to speak of intelligence that encompasses an entire planet. But the Earth has not yet reached that point. “There is intelligence on Earth -says Frank- but not planetary intelligence”. Why?
The four phases of planetary intelligence
According to the researchers, the emergence of technological intelligence on a planet, a very common reference point in astrobiology research, does not have to be seen as something that happens ‘on’ a planet, but ‘to’ a planet. Therefore, the evolution of that planetary intelligence represents the acquisition and application of a collective body of knowledge that operates across a complex system of different species at the same time, and in a harmonious way that benefits or sustains the entire biosphere. Obviously, neither humans nor Earth has reached that point yet.
For Frank and his team, however, we are on the way to achieving it, and have already reached the third of the four stages that, according to the study, lead to planetary intelligence. The first of these stages is that in which a planet, for example, the Earth, is still very primitive, with life but with an ‘immature biosphere’ that is not yet sufficiently synchronized with geophysical processes for the different types of life to co-evolve.
In the second stage, a ‘mature biosphere’ has already developed, and the Earth has already passed through it. The next milestone (the third stage) is the emergence of what Frank calls ‘an immature technosphere’, and that is precisely where our planet is now. At this stage, the technology has already been developed but is not yet sustainably integrated with the physical environment. There are tensions and imbalances that can even threaten life.
It is, therefore, a critical moment, but if it is passed, an immature technosphere has the opportunity to develop to the fourth and final stage: a ‘mature technosphere’, in which technological activity is perfectly synchronized with biological processes, chemical and geophysical, acting at the same time to guarantee the maximum stability of the complete system.
“Planets,” Frank explains, “evolve through immature stages, and planetary intelligence occurs when you get to a mature planet. The million-dollar question is what does planetary intelligence look like and what does it mean for us in practice, because we still don’t know how to move to a mature technosphere.”
On the edge of the precipice
According to the study, the Earth is now ‘on the brink of a precipice’, as our collective actions have clear global consequences. but we still do not have control of those consequences, something essential to reach the next level.
“A transition to planetary intelligence such as the one we describe here – the researchers write in their article – would have the distinctive property of intelligence operating on a planetary scale. Such planetary intelligence would be able to direct the future evolution of the Earth, acting in conjunction with planetary systems and guided by a deep understanding of those systems”.
Will the Earth one day become an ‘intelligent planet’? While we’re at it, all we can do is ‘look outside’ and try to find out if some other world has already done it.
