The chance of finding life on another planet remains remote. But as we expand our study of other worlds and come to terms with just how many planets there are in the galaxy (spoiler: a lot), it’s important to consider the ramifications of a human-led alien invasion. What happens if we seed other planets with Earth life? From a scientific perspective, the answer is tremendously complicated. From a legal perspective it’s simple: Someone goes to jail.
No nation or entity on Earth is allowed to transport non-human life to any celestial bodies with the intent of jumpstarting an ecosystem.
This is because of “planetary protection,” the notion that human exploration of space must be guided by a principle of both protecting space environments from undue influence at the hands of humans, as well as protecting Earth from being irrevocably transformed by materials and objects originating from celestial bodies. In other words, the natural processes of the universe should move forward naturally.
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