The astronomer answered the most exciting questions about aliens

Astronomer and former director of the SETI Center for the Search for Extraterrestrial Life Jill Tarter answered WIRED’s most disturbing questions from Twitter users about aliens. The most interesting of her answers are in the Trends material.

How should humanity interact with intelligent aliens?

“Despite the fact that we think of ourselves as the pinnacle of evolution and the most intelligent life form in the universe, if another civilization is able to reach our planet from its star, then it will be much more technologically advanced than we are. So the etiquette will be simple: we’ll have to play by their rules.”

The universe should be teeming with intelligent life. Where are all the aliens?

“The answer is really simple: we just recently started looking for extraterrestrial life. If we compare the entire space with the World Ocean, then in over 50 years we have studied only one bath. We need to think in the context of cosmic time, not human life. Still ahead!”

Should we install a planetary defense system against alien ships?

“Get back to reality! The real threat lies in asteroids and similar objects. Those are the ones to watch out for. If dinosaurs had a planetary defense system, they would not have become extinct.”

We assume that aliens are different from us. What if their intelligence cannot be recognized? Why don’t you give them an IQ test?

“First you need to understand the way of communication. Do they look us in the face? Can they communicate in sign language? But in fact, if they were able to get to the Earth, then they are already much smarter than us. You can forget about the IQ test.”

Have military pilots ever seen UFOs?

“I can honestly say: I don’t know. I also saw these videos [where the pilots reminisce about their experience of flying over a strange tablet-shaped UFO]. Perhaps the equipment on their planes was behaving strangely. In any case, there is not a single piece of evidence that this was a sign of alien life.”

What defines intelligent life?

“We cannot answer this question. The only thing we have is the use of technology as an intermediate means. Accordingly, if we recognize the return signal, we will understand that only representatives of other intelligent life could have launched it.”

If we discover a habitable planet, which country will own it?

“The UN Treaty on Principles for the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space proclaims that people can use the resources of other celestial bodies, but no one can own them. The situation is similar with the World Ocean outside the territorial waters – everyone can fish, search for jewelry, pump oil, etc., but it does not belong to anyone.

What if aliens are trying to contact us, but we just don’t see it?

This is quite likely. They may be using technology that we just haven’t invented yet. Or function within the laws of physics that we have not yet discovered. The only strategy left is to sit and wait for humanity to come up with something new that will hypothetically allow us to fix alien signals.