Does science make room for aliens?

[truthpusher]

MSNBC article about a new report from: the January/February 2005 issue of the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society.

MSNBC Article: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6826412/

SNIP

Now scientists note that recent astrophysical discoveries suggest we should find ourselves in the midst of one or more extraterrestrial civilizations. Moreover, they argue it is a mistake to reject all UFO reports because some evidence for the theoretically predicted extraterrestrial visitors might just be found there.

The researchers make their proposal in the January/February 2005 issue of the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society.

Curious situation
Pick up any good science magazine and you’re sure to see the latest in head-scratching ideas about superstring theory, wormholes or the stretching of space-time itself. Meanwhile, extrasolar planetary detection is on the verge of becoming mundane.

"We are in the curious situation today that our best modern physics and astrophysics theories predict that we should be experiencing extraterrestrial visitation, yet any possible evidence of such lurking in the UFO phenomenon is scoffed at within our scientific community," contends astrophysicist Bernard Haisch.

SNIP

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6826412/

PDF of report on Inflation-Theory Implications for
Extraterrestrial Visitation: http://www.ufoskeptic.org/JBIS.pdf


related article: http://www.space.com/searchforlife/et_betterodds_050114.html

[DrWeird]

1. I don't understand what they're talking about.

As for extrasolar planet detection being mundane, that's complete bullshit. There's major instrumentation slated to be built over the next few years for just that purpose.

As for anecdotal evidence of UFOs coming from people you wouldn't leave alone with your pets, no. There's no good reason to be listening to them.

Scratch another one for bad science reporting.

[Speck Tater]

5. On the other hand...

<<As for anecdotal evidence of UFOs coming from people you wouldn't leave alone with your pets, no. There's no good reason to be listening to them.>>

I agree completely. Now that we've dismissed those, let's discuss the witness who are airline or military pilots, astronomers, astronauts, engineers, police officers, and other reasonably intelligent and reasonably well educated folk.

It's all too easy to point at the lunatic fringe and in dismissing them, imply that you have dismissed the entire phenomenon. Nothing could be further from the truth. That's rather like the freepers do when they point at Soviet Communism and claim that all liberals are just like that. It isn't rational when the freepers do it to the liberals and it isn't rational when the dogmatic hyper-skeptics do it to honest, intelligent, well educated UFO witnesses.

If you condone that treatment of all witnessnes based on the lunatic fringe then you must also condone the identical behavior when the freepers apply it to us. No double standards please.

[DrWeird]

9. same thing.

I don't consider the testimony of a drunken pilot any more heavily than I do the testimony of a drunken lumberjack.

[McKenzie]

2. science is a word based upon a Greek root

that means knowledge/to know. We don't have knowledge to base the alien hypothesis on so it remains a thesis.

However, I think it's a tad arrogant to think we are the only intelligent (freepers are a mutation methinks) life in the universe.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Agreed

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[Dr.Phool]

3. It's possible that there is life out there

Even probable. But due to the distances involved we won't see any of them. Even if an intelligent human type of life evolved, the planet would have to have physical features similar to Earth, with metal ore deposits close to the surface. Then they'd have to master the technology.

[Warpy]

4. I doubt if we could relate to life on other planets

Most of it would be bacterial. Much of it would be utterly incomprehensible.

Think of the other intelligent species on this planet, like the cetaceans. We can't even manage to communicate with them. How would we ever communicate with species who don't share our experience or environment?

[indigobusiness]

7. Do aliens have room for pigheaded scientists?

That's the question.

[Dookus]

8. The existence of life on other planets

is separate from the question of whether such beings have visited us.

I believe it's quite possible, perhaps likely, that intelligent life exists elsewhere. I don't believe any of them have visited us.