Kolmogorov Complexity, String Information, Panspermia and the Fermi Paradox

TL;DR

This paper explores how Kolmogorov complexity of bit strings can inform the search for extraterrestrial life and signals, suggesting a universe filled with life streams and proposing new strategies for cosmic signal analysis.

Contribution

It introduces the application of Kolmogorov complexity to extraterrestrial communication and panspermia, offering a novel perspective on the Fermi paradox and cosmic signal analysis.

Findings

Low complexity strings can encode all terrestrial life.

Different strategies are needed for analyzing complex and random signals.

Universe may be filled with traveling life streams, explaining the Fermi paradox.

Abstract

Bit strings rather than byte files can be a mode of transmission both for intelligent signals and for travels of extraterrestrial life. Kolmogorov complexity, i.e. the minimal length of a binary coded string completely defining a system, can then, due to its universality, become a key concept in the strategy of the search of extraterrestrials. Evaluating, for illustration, the Kolmogorov complexity of the human genome, one comes to an unexpected conclusion that a low complexity compressed string - analog of Noah's ark - will enable the recovery of the totality of terrestrial life. The recognition of bit strings of various complexity up to incompressible Martin-L\"{o}f random sequences, will require a different strategy for the analysis of the cosmic signals. The Fermi paradox "Where is Everybody?" can be viewed under in the light of such information panspermia, i.e. a Universe full of traveling life streams.