You may not see massive UFO exhibits at your local science museum, but there's no dearth of saucer stories infesting my email. Every day I receive several reports of alien sightings, extraterrestrial plans for Earth, and agitated screeds about the reluctance of scientists to take the whole subject seriously. Plenty of people think they have convincing evidence for other-worldly visitors, and they want me to know.
Allow me to first note that this is a phenomenon worthy of attention. If aliens are really hanging out in our 'hood, it's hard to imagine any other fact more worthy of study. If not, then why does such a large fraction of the populace insist on believing they're here?
Note that few, if any, of these emails are penned by hoaxers. The correspondents are sincere, and many simply wish to help us in our search for evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence. Others are ticked off, usually at me.
It's a fire hose of correspondence, but stepping back a bit from the massive electronic corpus, it strikes me that virtually all of it falls into one of four categories. For the curious and interested, I list these subject areas below, together with a modestly elaborated description of each.
Sightings. The majority of my UFO diet consists of reports describing suspected encounters. This is not surprising, as there are thousands of sightings annually. The emailer has seen something unusual in the sky that he interprets as probable evidence of alien presence. Unfortunately, it's hard to say much about these stories. After all, I wasn't there.
I much prefer the photos and videos that are sometimes offered. The UFOs generally appear small, but contrary to frequent assumption, this doesn't prove that they're at high altitude moving at high speed (consider bugs and birds).
Many of the images are artifacts of photography. One gentleman sent me dozens of nighttime photos of city streets, featuring big, blobby and bright UFOs. But these luminous aliens only showed themselves when there was a street lamp in the shot. I suggested that they were internal reflections in the camera lens, and not alien ships behaving like moths. He disagreed...
Suggestions. Some people just want to feed the suggestion box. They've got information on how we can do our job better, such as telling us to swing our antennas in the direction of a particular star system where they're sure aliens are awaiting discovery. A favorite suggested target is the star system Zeta Reticuli, a locale made popular by the famous UFO case of Betty and Barney Hill. As it happens, we have examined Zeta Reticuli with our antennas -- not because of Betty and Barney, but because it's close (39 light-years). We didn't hear any Reticulans.
Other mails ask why we still look for radio signals when advanced aliens would surely communicate via hyperdimensional physics. Whatever that is. Others urge us to tune our receivers to the "frequency of DNA." Whatever that is.
Strange stuff. Why are we wasting time hunting for signals, say some correspondents, when extraterrestrials have left calling cards all over the planet? Virtually any pointed edifice is considered a candidate for alien engineering. After all, how could the Egyptians or Mayans have possibly stacked up stone blocks into pyramids? The Washington Monument -- also pointy -- is not considered an alien artifact as it was built by Americans who, of course, can manage this sort of project without extraterrestrial contractors.
Another story I get several times a month is that Homo sapiens is a deliberate creation of other-worldly beings. We're E.T.'s science fair project. The fact that our DNA is 98 percent the same as that of chimps implies that either the aliens must have also created our simian pals, or they were content to make us only very slightly better than what Nature had already served up.
A final category of strange stuff includes the correspondents who repeatedly claim that they are aliens. I wonder if they enjoy equal protection under the law.
Slams. While the above correspondence is interesting, it's not particularly unnerving. That cannot be said for those folks who like to excoriate me for being skeptical about alien visitation. They generally argue that the only reasons that few scientists give much credence to the visitation idea are these: (1) The government is keeping all the good evidence under wraps, and (2) Scientists are knee-jerk debunkers, unwilling to take any of this stuff seriously.
It's hard to believe that the aliens have cleverly arranged things so that only governments can find convincing evidence of their presence. And, of course, if you accept that premise, it follows that all the UFO reports by ordinary citizens are inadequate to establish the truth of aliens-on-Earth (a bummer of a message for organizations like MUFON).
As for the idea that scientists are either dumb or deliberately mum -- well hey, that's a slur both silly and personally wounding.
Imagine if Bigfoot enthusiasts blamed their failure to convince zoologists of the existence of these elusive beasts on (1) the state of Washington, which was deliberately covering up the really good evidence, and (2) forest rangers, who were derelict in their duty because they don't relentlessly investigate these hirsute hominids. Would such arguments convince you that Bigfoot was afoot?
The fact is, if you're certain that our planet is hosting alien visitors, the way to gain acceptance for your point of view is to prove it, not insist that the problem lies with third parties. The blame game is a cop-out.
I dunno, why do so many people believe in a supreme being they must worship but will never see?
Can millions of people be wrong? Why yes, yes they can.
By the way, Canadian politician Paul Hellyer made a UFO Landing Pad in St. Paul, Alberta. It looks like a large, raised picnic area.
What category do requests to take seriously the several retired USAF and Soviet missile officers who have documented 120 instances of missile system failure coinciding with UFO sightings at http://ufohastings.com fall in to?
"As it happens, we have examined Zeta Reticuli with our antennas -- not because of Betty and Barney, but because it's close (39 light-years). We didn't hear any Reticulans."
I say:
Mr Shostak, you make a point of stating "not because of Betty and Barney Hill". Your implication is that this case, or perhaps ANY UFO or abduction scenario, would never be reason enough for you to turn your antenna in that direction. Non action that you no doubt consider both normal and appropriate, in spite of the fact that the Hill abduction and 1000's of other UFO encounters have very powerful and convincing anecdotal plus physical evidence to support their credibility.
Virtually all serious researchers are of the opinion that the SETI organization projects an elite fundamentalist attitude. As their spokesman Mr Shostak, you appear to be hiding behind a religion called mainstream science, confidently protected by conventional thoughts and arguments, and buttressed by public institutions.
Fortunately, today's Internet was provided great opportunities for courageous, "out of the box" thinkers. Brave men and women, like astronaut Edgar Mitchel, former Canadian Defence Minister Paul Hellyer, historian Rich Dolan, scientist Michio Kaku, journalist Leslie Kean, and witness Jesse Marcel.
I'm 63 now, and have studied the UFO phenomena most of my adult life. If there is only one consequence when the operators of these mysterious craft we call UFOs finally make themselves known to the public, let it be that people like you are out of a job.
http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/ufo/key_to_et_messages.pdf
Go ahead - read it. Now skepticize it for the enjoyment of all.
I couldn't agree more!
As an agnostic, I'm very familiar with the burden of proof requirement for anyone making outlandish claims. But the fact remains, there IS evidence. There are hundreds of non-edited videos (and thousands of fake videos created with after effects). There are official reports from many pilots and military personal. There is also radar data. There are geiger counter readings. Plus, several events that have all of these forms of evidence. If you would like to see some decent evidence, I would recommend these videos:
http://youtu.be/1QRqL09raIQ (history channel documentary)
http://youtu.be/3jUU4Z8QdHI (military testimony)
http://youtu.be/e-g3OlX7AuQ (norwegian video evidence)
I would recommend the first link. At the end there is a photograph that was analyzed by two physicists. One of the physicists found a magnetic field around the object in the photo. Does it prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they exist? No, but it is evidence none the less, and should be considered by any reasonable open minded skeptic.
"Imagine if Bigfoot enthusiasts blamed their failure to convince zoologists of the existence of these elusive beasts on (1) the state of Washington, which was deliberately covering up the really good evidence, and (2) forest rangers, who were derelict in their duty because they don't relentlessly investigate these hirsute hominids. Would such arguments convince you that Bigfoot was afoot?"
Witnessed by several secret service- as well as a former United Nations Secretary General Javier Perez while driving NYC- also witnessed by those stranded on the bridge, after their vehicles stalled. The craft put on a spectacular light show during the process- as to make sure they got the attention of a certain spectator. The craft was last seen splashing into the East River. Seven seperate witnesses have came forth since this night in '89. Javier refused to go public, for obvious reasons.
Officially, he was in bed with a cold that night- (Even though his Rolls Royce happened to be sitting in the middle of a limo escort close to the river that night)
One of the most exciting cases of the 20th century. I don't know what to believe sometimes, regarding this subject. For me, the question is no longer "If"....but "what" and "why"
Serves me well.
Not in all these years of sightings, encounters, abductions, and everything related to this topic has anyone, anywhere, collected one piece of physical evidence and put it on public display - not once! I keep an open mind on the subject, and don't believe we are alone in this universe, but grainy photos, hoaxsters, and eyewitness accounts are not physical evidence. Until that evidence is provided, the lights in the sky remain as unknowns and unidentified.
Internet web sites purporting to have all the facts and evidence abound. Again, not physical evidence. Challenge any of these founts of UFO knowledge to produce some evidence - like I said, it just isn't there. It is however a great topic for speculation and imagination so enjoy it as such.
The problem with the UFO field, is that good data is difficult to obtain. Too many hoaxers!
Unfortunately, to actually be convinced of this fact -- this simple thesis that the Air Force doesn't know what it's dealing with but doesn't want us to panic over it -- a skeptic must engage in over 1,000 pages of reading. To start! But can anyone think of a subject more worthy of 1,000 pages of scientific reading?
As to the ridicule meted out by some in this thread... that there are even thousands of pages of legitimate science on the UFO topic, much of it indicating a solid core of data among 90% junk, and highlighting the need for more systematic study... well, shouldn't that alone be enough to give pause to the scoffers?
One day I awoke to find I had what appeared to be the letter "Y" lightly scratched into my left bicep, with nothing around that could have caused it, only linen sheets. Notice I say "appeared"?
Most of my life I have required asthma inhalers to pervent an asthma attack. It has been several months now since I have used one, even tho I do still smoke, oft times quite heavily.
I have had allergies all of my life, for which the reactions would trigger asthmatic attacks. For the last month approx i have lived at my friends whose cat i have in the past been highly allergic to, as of yet there has been no difficulties whatsoever.
If anyone had bothered to take things seriously, I am well aware of the delicacy of the situation. The ramifications for both science and religion if I am in fact "different". Although theoretically I am possible, in fact there are those today who dream of creating soemthing similar to me, technologically it is beyond humanitites ability.
The fact is I exist, the question is why, and perhaps by whom? Although I can create several explanations, without the proper resources they exist only as possibilities. Time will prove true, one or more of my theories.
The gold rings around your pupils are a result of producing less melanin as you age, in those with light pigment to start with, the yellow pigments can appear gold, especially in contrast with blue pupils. Or, of course it could be rock solid evidence of alien tampering. Take your pick.