Post by auntym on Feb 2, 2021 21:14:10 GMT -6
www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2021/02/02/its-never-aliens-unless-your-claim-passes-this-one-scientific-test/?sh=bdd3cec586f0
Feb 2, 2021
It’s Never ‘Aliens’ Unless Your Claim Passes This One Scientific Test
Ethan SiegelSenior Contributor
Starts With A BangContributor Group
The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it.
The southern Milky Way as viewed above ALMA is illustrative of one way we search for signals of ... [+] ESO/B. TAFRESHI/TWAN
When it comes to what’s out there in this Universe, perhaps the only thing that’s greater than our cosmic igannance is the power of our imaginations. Are there extraterrestrials out there, somewhere, in the Universe or even our own galaxy? Have they come closer than that, perhaps, like being present in our Solar System or even here on Earth?
And, if the answer is yes, then what type of alien life forms are they? Are they simple, in the sense that a single-celled organism is simple? Are they complex, in the sense that a multicellular, differentiated organism with multiple specialized structures and functions is complex? Or are they even intelligent, sentient, and technologically advanced?
Contrary to the popular narrative, the scientific community is anything but resistant to investigating the issue. What they are strongly resistant to, however, is legitimizing such claims that lack sufficient evidence. The first commandment of being a scientist, when faced with claims of extraterrestrials, is this: “Thou shalt not conclude ‘aliens’ from insufficient data.” For all of human history, those are the only claims we’ve had.
There’s a big test that any claim asking, “is it aliens?” must stand up to, and no claim has ever passed it: is your data good enough to strongly favor the “aliens” hypothesis over comparatively mundane explanations that don’t invoke aliens?
The Universe as we know it is full of natural phenomena that occur as a result of a combination of complex processes. The forces between individual particles leads to bound systems like atoms, ions, and molecules. Many of them, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ethyl formate (the molecule that gives raspberries their scent), sugars, and even buckminsterfullerenes are found in interstellar gas clouds. Amino acids, including dozens of types not used in terrestrial biochemistry, are found inside meteorites that fall to Earth.
Many scientists, from those investigating worlds in our Solar System to exoplanet astronomers to those seeking SETI-like signatures, have devoted their lives to searching for alien signatures beyond Earth. But no robust claims have ever held up to serious scrutiny. Here are seven “scientific” claims of aliens, and how they failed to make an enduring impact.
CONTINUE READING: www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2021/02/02/its-never-aliens-unless-your-claim-passes-this-one-scientific-test/?sh=bdd3cec586f0
Feb 2, 2021
It’s Never ‘Aliens’ Unless Your Claim Passes This One Scientific Test
Ethan SiegelSenior Contributor
Starts With A BangContributor Group
The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it.
The southern Milky Way as viewed above ALMA is illustrative of one way we search for signals of ... [+] ESO/B. TAFRESHI/TWAN
When it comes to what’s out there in this Universe, perhaps the only thing that’s greater than our cosmic igannance is the power of our imaginations. Are there extraterrestrials out there, somewhere, in the Universe or even our own galaxy? Have they come closer than that, perhaps, like being present in our Solar System or even here on Earth?
And, if the answer is yes, then what type of alien life forms are they? Are they simple, in the sense that a single-celled organism is simple? Are they complex, in the sense that a multicellular, differentiated organism with multiple specialized structures and functions is complex? Or are they even intelligent, sentient, and technologically advanced?
Contrary to the popular narrative, the scientific community is anything but resistant to investigating the issue. What they are strongly resistant to, however, is legitimizing such claims that lack sufficient evidence. The first commandment of being a scientist, when faced with claims of extraterrestrials, is this: “Thou shalt not conclude ‘aliens’ from insufficient data.” For all of human history, those are the only claims we’ve had.
There’s a big test that any claim asking, “is it aliens?” must stand up to, and no claim has ever passed it: is your data good enough to strongly favor the “aliens” hypothesis over comparatively mundane explanations that don’t invoke aliens?
The Universe as we know it is full of natural phenomena that occur as a result of a combination of complex processes. The forces between individual particles leads to bound systems like atoms, ions, and molecules. Many of them, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ethyl formate (the molecule that gives raspberries their scent), sugars, and even buckminsterfullerenes are found in interstellar gas clouds. Amino acids, including dozens of types not used in terrestrial biochemistry, are found inside meteorites that fall to Earth.
Many scientists, from those investigating worlds in our Solar System to exoplanet astronomers to those seeking SETI-like signatures, have devoted their lives to searching for alien signatures beyond Earth. But no robust claims have ever held up to serious scrutiny. Here are seven “scientific” claims of aliens, and how they failed to make an enduring impact.
CONTINUE READING: www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2021/02/02/its-never-aliens-unless-your-claim-passes-this-one-scientific-test/?sh=bdd3cec586f0