PopSyndicate.com

Zac Barclay takes some time out from celebrity chasing to actually learn something scientific while in Atlanta for Dragon*Con ‘09.

      A guy can really only subtly stalk celebrities for so long before he wants to sit down and learn something.  After all of the panels, Q & A’s, brushes with fame, and cosplay lady ogling, a dude just really has to clear his mechanism.  And apparently, Dragon*Con really DOES have something for everyone.

Enter Dr. Seth Shostak, head astronomer for S.E.T.I. (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence – a legit agency, look them up!) and quite genuinely funny guy.  The topic at hand:  Why Dr. Shostak believes in extraterrestrial life, but thinks that E.T. has nothing to do with flying saucers, floating lights, or your crazy aunt Lucy’s abduction experience.  Surprised to find out that a guy who has dedicated his life to finding civilizations on other planets doesn’t believe in flying saucers?  Well, it’s because he’s a legitimate scientist.  Deductive reasoning, critical thinking – the whole nine yards. 

As Shostak points out in his presentation, (which was extremely laid back and filled with common language an a great deal of natural humor, as well as some very solid info) “Imagine if instead of landing in America, Columbus had just sailed his ships a few miles off the coast for 60 years, just teasing the Native Americans,” not very likely right? 

Shostak’s main point is, if an alien civilization IS visiting us, why is there not good, solid proof?  Again, using the Columbus comparison, after 60 years of Europeans visiting the North American continent, no one had gotten a good look at one, or had indisputable proof that they had been there, you’d really start to wonder what the Chief was slipping in the tribe Kool-Aide if folks kept claiming they’d seen white men running amuck on their shores. 

Dr. Shostak utilized truck a truck full of common sense and basic reasoning to point out why there is no way that we have been visited by a race from another planet in recent history.  And this is a GUY that BELIEVES in aliens.  That’s like a democrat telling folks that Obama won’t heal immediately if cut down by a run away chain saw. 

While Dr. Shostak doesn’t spend his free nights in his backyard with a mini Hubble trying to read the license plate on Guinan’s space Fiat, that does not mean that he is not holding out hope for one day finding life, or even civilizations in other solar systems.  To paraphrase a quote from Shostak, “S.E.T.I. does not search for [extraterrestrial] life here, we search for aliens in their homes.” 

The main goal of S.E.T.I. is to find evidence of life outside our solar system, not to chase down every hubcap shaped saucer “sighting” that happens on our planet.  So do the guy a favor, stop calling him at all hours telling him your abduction story, or relating how your cousin Bob saw some “crazy lights” one night after a few too many Champagne of Beers.  S.E.T.I. defines intelligent life (in relation to their search) as life able to create radio waves.  So unless Nelix cuts in on Bob and Tom on the morning drive to the office, don’t bother Shostak with it.  Unless you want to be the punch line in one of his many topical jokes during his next presentation.

Thanks to S.E.T.I. and Dr. Seth Shostak, the search for intelligent life goes on throughout the universe…now if we could just find some on THIS planet… 

0