The recent launch of the James Webb space telescope has the science world abuzz with dreams of new discoveries in our understanding of the universe. Scientists hope it will help them understand the universe's origin, explain the mysteries of dark matter, and find definitive proof of the existence of God.
The results would be among the greatest scientific accomplishments in human history. The aliens might have the biggest impact on civilization.
A group of scientists working at NASA have proposed a framework for the US government to inform the public if it discovers evidence for extraterrestrial life.
The NASA document outlines the request.
Our generation could be the one to discover evidence of life outside of Earth. Responsibility comes with this privileged potential. The magnitude of the question of whether we are alone in the Universe opens the possibility that results may be taken to imply more than the observers intend.
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The researchers propose a progressive system where evidence would be presented on a scale of one through seven, starting with the detection of a biological signal and ending with definitive confirmation of the presence of alien biology.
It is unlikely that the general public will be interested in the NASA updates since they are similar to typical science reporting.
Credit: NASA.
It would be interesting to see what NASA's standard operating procedures would look like when faced with advanced intelligent alien life.
We think the US government would inform the public immediately if the James Webb space telescope picks up definitive evidence of alien technology on a nearby planet.
It is worth wondering if NASA would let us know if it discovers evidence for alien life, considering that the government hid official documentation of unexplained aerial phenomena from the public for decades.
It is worth mentioning that full disclosure might not be the best policy when it comes to notifying the general public.
If the US government stumbles across an alien armada, that is one thing, but what about the other side?
Maybe the fictional Agent Kay from the Men In Black film series had the correct assessment when they explained why a civilization full of rational people wouldn't be able to accept the knowledge that aliens were real and some of them were dangerous. People are dumb and dangerous.
Should NASA tell us if it discovers evidence of alien life? Should there be a progressive scale for that too?
