[ad_1]
Washington –The discovery of an intelligent life form outside of our planet is perhaps the biggest change in the course of humanity … But what if scientists collectively decide to ignore the evidence indicating this ?
So begins a new book by a leading astronomer who argues that the easiest and best explanation for the unusual properties of an object that has passed between stars through our solar system in 2017 is that it s was a technique devised by an alien object.
Does this sound strange? Scientist Avi Loeb says the evidence shows otherwise, and he’s convinced his peers in the scientific community are so steeped in group thinking that they’re not willing to resort to the UCAM blade principle (a simple method of reflection, analysis and conclusion without delving into complications).
It’s hard to dismiss the theory of Loeb, who had long been the head of astronomy at Harvard University, published hundreds of groundbreaking papers and collaborated with greats like the late Stephen Hawking.
“The idea that we are unique and special is arrogance,” the scientist said in a video interview with Agence France-Presse.
“The right approach is to be humble and say, ‘We are not special, there are many other cultures and we just have to find them. “”
Loeb, 58, discusses his theory of the extraterrestrial “Oumuamua” (the Hawaiian explorer) in his book “Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth”.
The facts are as follows.
In October 2017, astronomers noticed a very fast moving object, which could only have come from another star, the first recorded case of an interstellar intruder.
It did not look like an ordinary boulder because after setting off around the sun, it accelerated and deviated from the expected path, dragged by a mysterious force.
This could easily be explained if a comet expelled gas and debris, but there was no visible evidence of this “gas release” process.
The traveler also descended in a strange way, using the method that made him brighter and darker in scientists’ telescopes, and was unusually bright, indicating that he was made of shiny metal.
In order to explain what happened, astronomers had to invent new theories such as this one was made of hydrogen ice and therefore would have no visible effect or would dissolve into a cloud of dust. .
“These ideas that came to explain Oumuamua’s characteristics always included something that we had never seen before,” Loeb said.
“If this is the direction we are taking, why not think of it as synthetic?”
Oumuamua was not photographed up close during his short stay, as he discovered it as soon as he left our solar system.
There are two types of shapes which correspond to the observed characteristics. Long and thin like a cigar, or flat and round like a pancake.
Loeb noted that the simulations favored the second option and believed the object was intentionally constructed as a sail propelled by stellar radiation.
It was also surprising how the body moved, which made its passage even stranger.
Before colliding with our Sun, Oumuamua was “at rest” with respect to neighboring stars, which is rare. Instead of seeing it as a ship plunging into space, in terms of shape, our solar system collided with it.
“Maybe Oumuamua was like a buoy that rests in the vast expanse of the universe,” Loeb wrote.
Loeb’s ideas put him at odds with his peers.
Astrophysicist Ethan Siegel described him in Forbes magazine as “a scientist who was once respectable,” but he failed to convince his peers of his arguments and began to try to convince the public.
For his part, Loeb protests the “culture of harassment” at the Academy which punishes people who question traditional beliefs, just as Galileo was punished when he suggested that Earth is not the center of the universe.
Compared to the speculative branches of theoretical physics, like the search for dark matter or the multiverse, the search for the existence of extraterrestrials is a path that makes more sense to follow, he added.
This is why Loeb is pushing for a new branch of astronomy, “space archeology,” to research the biological and technological signatures of aliens.
“If we find evidence of technologies that took a million years to develop, then we can get a shortcut to those technologies and use them on Earth,” said Loeb, who spent his childhood on a reading philosophy. farm.
Such a discovery could “make us feel like we are part of the same team” as humanity faces threats ranging from climate change to nuclear conflict.
“Instead of fighting, as countries often do, we may be able to cooperate,” he concluded.
Source link
