Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Be prepared for close encounters with aliens, says Scots scientist

We should be prepared for contact with aliens, a Scottish-based scientist has argued.

In order to cope with any interaction with extraterrestrial life forms, the researcher has argued that the United Nations (UN) must set up a branch to deal with any alien encounters.

The comments are part of an extraterrestrial-themed edition of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A.

In it, scientists examine all aspects of the search for extraterrestrial life, from astronomy and biology to the political and religious fall-out that would result from alien contact.

Dr Martin Dominik of St Andrews University is joined by Professor John Zarnecki of the Open University in arguing for world nations putting “supra-Earth affairs” on the agenda.

Their report states: “Astronomers are now able to detect planets orbiting stars other than the Sun where life may exist, and living generations could see the signatures of extra-terrestrial life being detected.

“Should it turn out that we are not alone in the Universe, it will fundamentally affect how humanity understands itself—and we need to be prepared for the consequences.” ...

via Be prepared for close encounters with aliens, says Scots scientist | Dundee and Tayside | STV News.

10 comments:

Mirlen101 said...

Oh we're prepared . We have plenty of weapons to blast them out of the sky ! I can guarantee no matter what our plans are some idiot will panic and order their military to fire on them ;-/ Of course they will have superior weapons and will in retaliation light the planet up like a burning marshmallow ! Yes we are all doomed ! ;-O So get out the graham crackers and chocolate bars and prepare to be s'mored !

Ann said...

Very funny!!!

But, how unfortunate it would be for the aliens, who perhaps want to make some sort of sensible contact, but how devastating for us, humans.

When an individual prepares for, say, an interview, he attempts to put his best forward, as it were. He dresses nicely and presents himself the best he can.

When a community or a small town greets an official of state or prepares for a major event, they sometimes clean up the streets and parks and incarcerate the riffraff, the homeless or, like Atlanta, Georgia a few years ago, before the Olympics, I think it was, or some international event, throw'em out of town.

China made a lot preparations for the recent Olympics. They even tried to cut down on urban pollution, which was next to impossible. But, they made the effort.

So, what's the world going to do, if all the heads of state realized that contact with a far superior race with highly advanced technology was imminent? Can you imagine? It'd be kind of hard to hide all the death and destruction, by wars and endless kinds of pollution. I think the United States, in particular, and some other Western countries, would have to do a lot historical revisionism, saying in so many words: it's not our fault, they did it.

But seeing how that's not going to work, you're probably right. I'd bet, there'll be some military bozos making plans for an major assault even before the aliens land.

Mirlen101 said...

Good point ! Never thought about it like that . Putting on a good face would be difficult in such a situation .The world as a whole would look like a giant chaotic slum to anyone more advanced ;-/ They might just put us out of our misery for humanitarian reasons ! ;-O

Xeno said...

There are claims of battles we have already fought with reptilian aliens underground. It is possible that another intelligent species would keep things in perspective and not wipe out the planet because a dog tries to bite them.

Cheng said...

"There are claims of battles we have already fought with reptilian aliens underground."

Who won?

Xeno said...

Both sides lost some people.

Mirlen101 said...

The old whack on the nose with a newspaper trick ! ;-)

Ann said...

Cheng asked a most pertinent question: "who won?"

It's pertinent, because we sure couldn't tell who won by studying the world around us, or, as Mirlen101 aptly described, our "giant chaotic slum," even if, dare I say, there are no such thing as reptiloids.

sulochanosho said...

Time to align with the aliens.

Ann said...

I really laughed when I read your comment, but you're probably right. If you know any inroads to alien contact, let us know.