Traces of a Type II civilization were detected by scientists.

If humanity wishes to progress to a type 1 civilization, we need to harness, store, and utilize all the energy that is available to us, including raw materials and sunlight. We would also have to control natural forces such as volcanoes and earthquakes. While it may be possible for humanity to reach type 1 civilization within the next 200 years, the advanced civilization that has been detected in space could already be a type 2 civilization or higher.

Before humanity can even consider reaching type 1 civilization, we need to take care of our planet. For instance, the Colorado River is running low, and we need to reduce water usage to address this issue. Balancing water needs is not easy, but we need to take steps to reduce our water usage and support leaders who are ready to tackle this crisis. Once humanity has all the energy on our home planet under control and graduates to type 1 on the Kardashev scale, we would then need to take the next step and increase our energy consumption by ten billion times. To achieve this, we would need to harness all the energy that our star generates. If there is a type 2 civilization out there, they are probably using a Dyson Sphere to collect all the energy radiating from their star.

Constructing a Dyson Sphere is not simple, and only advanced civilizations could construct something like it. A Dyson Sphere must be larger than the star itself, and once built, it would block nearly all of the visible light from the star. However, a civilization this advanced could make its own solar system invisible. Fortunately, even if visible light is blocked, we can still detect a star by the infrared light it gives off. A civilization this advanced could also utilize raw materials from every planet in its star system and beyond. They could build fusion reactors that orbit their planet fueled with gas from other worlds with hydrogen-rich atmospheres, and they could be mining precious metals from rocky planets. They might even be able to terraform other planets to make them livable.

This civilization would be able to master interstellar travel, but they may not have visited us yet. They could be waiting for us to catch up so that when our civilizations meet, we can do so on an equal footing.

What if there existed a civilization that was more advanced than us? A civilization that had achieved a level of technological advancement so great that they had become cyborgs, blending organic and robotic material to achieve incredible feats that humans could only dream of. But they wouldn't stop there. An advanced civilization such as this would want to continue up the Kardashev scale, eventually becoming a Type 3 civilization, which would require harnessing the power of several stars in their galaxy rather than relying solely on their own star system.

With the ability to harness the power of many stars, such a civilization would have no problem meeting its ever-growing energy needs. They could simply hook up another star when they needed more power. In the Milky Way galaxy alone, there are 100 billion stars available to be harnessed. A civilization possessing this much power would undoubtedly be the rulers of their galaxy and have the power to move entire star systems, merging them to harvest energy more efficiently.

If a civilization such as this existed, we could detect their presence by observing the sudden disappearance of many stars in a faraway galaxy. This would be a sign that Dyson spheres, large structures that surround a star to capture its energy, had been constructed around not just one but several stars. It is possible that a Type 3 civilization already exists out there, as scientists have announced the discovery of two galaxies with an unusual amount of infrared light. This is a phenomenon typically observed in galaxies where new stars are being born, but sudden and unusual spikes in infrared light could indicate the existence of civilizations many times more advanced than ours.

Perhaps they are on the verge of making contact with us, or maybe they already have, but this is a story for another time. The possibility of a civilization so advanced that it can harness the power of multiple stars in a galaxy is fascinating and thought-provoking. It highlights the potential for humanity to one day reach such heights and inspires us to continue to push the boundaries of technology and knowledge.