DO ALIENS EXIST?

Human beings have always been, and continue to be, fascinated by the idea of extraterrestrial beings. From fantasy books and comics to films and television series, aliens have been the topic of countless productions. While the intriguing subject of intelligent beings from outer space has captured the hearts and minds of people from all walks of life, the existence of aliens has not yet been proven. We continue to ask ourselves: do aliens really exist?

Neither can one claim with certainty that aliens are real, nor can one confidently deny their existence. With the advancements in science and technology, it is easy to assert that we know a lot about the world that we live in. And yet, each day teaches us that there are more unknowns than the human mind can comprehend. We still have not found cures for various life-threatening diseases. We still have not been able to dig deep enough to go beyond the earth’s crust and into the mantle. Our dream of sending humans to Mars remains unfulfilled. Therefore, we keep trying to do more, find more, and learn more, every day.

I have always wondered about the greatness of the universe. Simply thinking about the beautiful and magnificently structured solar system and the variety of the planets it contains can be mind-boggling. Beyond that lies so many celestial bodies and formations that they can easily make one’s head spin. The vastness of the outer space, with no known boundary, leads to the question of what other forms of life might be out there. There could be other living organisms, including intelligent beings whose brilliance could exceed that of humans on earth. Perhaps extraterrestrial beings would be friendly, or perhaps they would pose a threat to us. Maybe there are a variety of extraterrestrial beings out there, and we could all be trying to find each other in this great universe. Or it could also be the case that human beings on earth have already been detected by aliens, who may be observing us from afar. We simply do not know at this point.

I am a social scientist, and not an expert in chemistry, biology, or physics. I do not spend time in laboratories, medical facilities, observatories, or space shuttles. Yet, as a resident of our habitable planet and a gatherer of knowledge, I seek an answer to the critical question of whether or not aliens exist. Last week, it seemed to me that we may be getting close to finding an answer.

On Friday evening, I was watching Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News. In addition to political news and commentary, the program featured an interview with a gentleman named Avi Loeb, who is a professor in the Department of Astronomy at Harvard University. I found the interview to be enlightening. It prompted me to search the internet for more information on the matter that Professor Loeb discussed on television.

Professor Avi Loeb talked about an object that was detected in our solar system, in 2017. He thinks that this object could be a product of alien technology. Scientists, through rigorous observation, determined that it was not a comet.  They have studied the object – its shape, size, the way it reflected sunlight, its trajectory and how it moved away from the sun, and more. According to Professor Loeb, this 100 yards-long object, which has been named ‘Oumuamua’, could a creation by aliens. As in the case of many conclusions in the field of science, this too could be disputed. However, spotting of such foreign objects in our solar system, scientific observation, and intellectual discussion on the origin and composition of such materials lead us closer to knowing the truth about aliens.

The universe is too big for us to explore in the finite lifetime that we have. It takes generations after generations, and in fact thousands of years or even more to incrementally learn more about the vast space that we are traveling through. Human beings should continue to obtain more information, and we must continue to share our knowledge with the future generations so that they can build on it. At some point, human beings will know about aliens, if they exist. If we find extraterrestrial life, they could be friends, or foes. Only time will tell.