10 Reasons Why Humans May Not Have Come From Earth
2. So Where Did We Come From?
In order to figure out our origins, Dr. Ellis Silvers then takes us through the practicalities of colonising another planet, and he's certainly given it a lot of thought.
So, if we presume that this ancient race of humanoids has developed the technology to travel at near light speed, they would need to originate from somewhere that can be travelled to within a human lifetime. Say, 30-ish light years away.
Silver reckons that these early settlers could well have brought frozen embryos with them to kickstart the whole breeding process, as they would have been elderly by the time they arrived (although this does sort of ruin the whole "Earth is a space prison" thing).
Dr. Silver then goes on to list his top picks for our potential homeworld, including Alpha Centauri A and B (1 lightyear), Epsilon Eridani (10.5), 61 Cygni A and B (17), Epsilon Indi (20) and Tau Ceti (22). Do let us know if one of those names stirs something primordial in you, it could be the proof we need.
The Alpha Centauri binary system eventually claims the top spot due to its proximity and the fact that it's a binary system (remember our earlier discussion about the sun that never sets?). It would mean that, at even a fraction of the speed of light, it would still be reachable within one lifetime.
Although, fair-minded as always, Dr. Silvers also allows for the idea that a race of galactic beings could well have harnessed the use of hyperspace and wormholes in order to reach our humble little Earth from pretty much anywhere in the universe.
So that doesn't really narrow it down.