If Aliens exist, what would they think of us?
Interest in UFOs and UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena) has surged recently. Former President Barack Obama confirmed aliens are “real” but unseen, while Donald Trump ordered the release of government files amid public curiosity.
For generations, humans have wondered what alien life might look like, but we rarely consider what extraterrestrials would think of us. The answer, according to experts, might be uncomfortable.
"If I were looking at Earth from a distance, I would be pretty disappointed," says theoretical physicist Avi Loeb.
"Most of our investing is in preventing conflicts. Look at the Ukraine war over a little territory. That is not a sign of intelligence," he says.
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Loeb leads Harvard's Galileo Project, which searches for evidence of extraterrestrial technological artefacts. He suggests aliens might be observing humanity to ensure we aren't a threat, or laughing at us.
Interest in UFOs and UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena) has surged recently. Former President Barack Obama confirmed aliens are "real" but unseen, while Donald Trump ordered the release of government files amid public curiosity.
The US heading back to the moon with Nasa's Artemis II mission has fuelled further fascination.
The American UFO narrative stretches back decades, from the 1947 Roswell debris to Star Trek's "First Contact Day." Experts note that much of popular culture portrays aliens as aggressive, reflecting humanity's projection of its own conflicts.
According to SETI Institute President Bill Diamond, the search for life is driven by the desire to know we are not alone. Many Americans share this curiosity; a 2021 Pew survey found two-thirds believe intelligent life exists elsewhere, and about half see military UFO reports as evidence.
Former NOAA official Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet emphasises that UAPs are real, with some encounters involving near-collisions with aircraft. Government secrecy, he says, often relates to national security and defence technologies.
University of Michigan astronomer Edwin Bergin notes that if intelligent beings could traverse interstellar distances, they would likely make their presence known.
"I would think they would look at us like we were crazy … but they would come out," he says.
Diamond concludes, "If any civilisation has mastered interstellar travel, they have capabilities beyond our comprehension. If they want to be seen, they will; if not, they won't."
