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The title of this article isn’t meant to be a slight against scientist. I hope they don’t find it disparaging. I like to think I am a scientist. I am a lazy scientist. You won’t necessarily find me in a lab, but if you’re running a telescope or microscope lab- I can help you set it up. I like the instruments of science. I have been thinking about aliens since I was a kid. God, aliens, and sex- the top three things I think about. The order changes in term of priority. They can overlap.
You almost have to come at this ‘thing’ with some humor, because seriously, you bring up aliens and people laugh. I was ‘made fun of’ by colleagues for attending AlienCon; I took it well, but am always willing to discuss my thoughts on this. Most people don’t want to have this conversation. I don’t think scientist really want this conversation. Matt O’Dowd, host of PBS Space Time, is frequenting stating, “it’s never aliens.” I like him. I wonder- if you start with the premise it’s never aliens, does that mean you’re never looking for aliens? Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence- what if there was just ordinary evidence? Isn’t most of our science based on ordinary every day encounters with reality?
You know how many interesting discoveries have been made by amateur astronomers? Me neither. I hear it’s a lot. We love looking at the sky and through our scopes. My scope was stolen a while back. I am now considering the replacement because I intend to teach my son the skies. Part of me has wanted to wait for the ideal space. I was going to…
