extraterrestrial
Speculation, theory, UFOs and Aliens. Are we alone in this universe or is there life outside Earth?
Is the Government Hiding UFOs?
"You ever notice that UFO's never land at places like MIT or UCLA? They always land in some swamp in Arkansas where Billy Hot Dog and his cousin, Weenie, are out hunting. They're real good for reliable reports. It was big and round. Imagine if it landed in Times Square... taxi drivers would honk and scream out 'move that thing!' Bums would come and warm their hands by it and say 'This is nice!' " —Jay Leno
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
How Apollo 13 Avoided Disaster
Are you superstitious? Would you fly on ship number 13? Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Ken Mattingly didn't think the number 13 would be unlucky for them. They had trained for many months to fly the third lunar landing mission, Apollo 13. Lovell and Haise planned to spend 33 hours exploring the surface of the Moon, while Mattingly circled above them in the command module Odyssey. The story of what happened instead is a tribute to the bravery, ingenuity, and teamwork not only of the astronauts themselves, but also of the hundreds of controllers, technicians, and scientists who brought three men safely home from outer space. You can decide whether or not the number 13 was unlucky for them at the end of the story.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Life on Jupiter
Most people can swim. Even I can, though someone once said unkindly that I give a spirited impression of a baby seal with training flippers. Most animals can also swim, at least passably. And we know that the sea is teeming with life, some of it very intelligent. Dolphins, sea lions, and porpoises are no fools, as we have learned. What, then, are the chances that, somewhere, advanced life forms live in a liquid environment?
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Betty Hill Abduction
Among the most influential and widely known UFO incidents is the story of Barney and Betty Hill, a middle-aged New Hampshire couple who in 1961 were returning from vacation. Driving late at night through the White Mountains, the Hills encountered a UFO whose alien occupants reportedly took them on board and subjected them to a thorough medical examination. Several factors seemed to argue strongly in favor of the authenticity of the case. First, the narrative of the abduction was not consciously remembered by the Hills but was extracted by a psychiatrist using hypnosis. This fact seemed to rule out any chance of a deliberate hoax. Second, one particular piece of information (similarly retrieved from Betty Hill’s subconscious) was a "star map," which was subsequently deciphered by experts to indicate the alien ship's home solar system. Over the years, the "Barney and Betty Hill Abduction" has become accepted as a "classic" close encounter of the third kind. Since then, dozens of similar cases have been reported. A bestselling book (Interrupted Journey by John Fuller) and a made-for-TV movie (NBC's UFO Incident) have boosted the case's fame. Betty Hill (Barney died in 1969) has become a popular feature at UFO conventions nationwide.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
How Can Venus Be a UFO?
A celebrated UFO report, widely publicized in the 1970s, is Jimmy Carter's sighting in Georgia, before he was governor. Hundreds of UFO writers and lecturers refer glowingly to the "Jimmy Carter UFO," though not a single one of them appears to have actually investigated the report. In light of statistics showing that 90 to 98 percent of all such instances can readily be identified as scientific phenomena (at least a quarter of these cases turn out to be bright planets), one suspects that UFO buffs are afraid that just such a solution would explain away the Carter sighting and thus deprive them of a good publicity gimmick.
By James Oberg10 years ago in Futurism
Examining the Fermi Paradox
The Fermi Paradox is the apparent contradiction between the high probability of other lifeforms in the universe and humanity's lack of contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. For every grain of sand on Earth there are 10,000 stars, a vastness so immense it escapes comprehension. Humanity should not be the only intelligent life in the universe, but so far no evidence indicates otherwise. Robin Hanson is amongst pragmatic intellects who answer the paradox by amplifying the differentiation between finding life, and finding intelligent life.
By John Foley10 years ago in Futurism
They're Made Out of Meat
"They're Made Out of Meat," by Terry Bisson, is one of the most influential stories in science fiction, and is regularly discussed in college classes about cognitive science, cosmology, and philosophy. The story consists entirely of two extraterrestrials having a conversation at a dinner. Their mission is to discover sentient beings capable of traveling faster than light, and offering them "first contact." Human-beings, as carbon-based life, befuddle the aliens. They cannot fathom how "sacks of meat" can be sentient. Disturbed by their discovery, the aliens mark the solar system has uninhabited, cutting off humanity from the galactic community. "They're Made Out of Meat" is regularly cited as an explanation to the Fermi paradox, the contradiction asking why we cannot see other intelligent life in the universe.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
