Science Harvard scientist believes interstellar comet could be alien craft, "We should put all possibilities on the table"

Scientists are watching a newly discovered object in space, and most of them agree it's a comet, but not all of them. A Harvard scientist, who believes he's seen proof of alien life before, suspects this object may not actually be a comet.

Professor Avi Loeb said there are clear signs that the comet known as "3I/ATLAS" could be an alien craft.

"We should put all possibilities on the table that it's a rock, a comet, or something else until we get the evidence, the data that will tell us what it is," Loeb said in an interview with WBZ-TV's Courtney Cole.

Professor Loeb and his team say the interstellar object is on an extremely unusual course for a comet that will take it close Venus, Mars and Jupiter.

Loeb said that object appears to be "intelligently" directed and if it is alien, the world should prepare.

"Blind date from a visitor"​

"I think that when we have a blind date from a visitor from another star, all bets are off," said Loeb. "We shouldn't assume anything, and we should assess the risk given the data that we have."

Loeb said the risk should be assessed using something like the Richter scale for earthquakes.

"Zero would be a natural object like a comet," Loeb said. "Ten would be an object that maneuvers as if it has an engine that is definitely technological, and then there should be some policymakers deciding how to respond to that."

Professor Loeb says the object will pass closest to the sun on October 29.

According to NASA, Comet 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to Earth and will remain far away.

Professor on aliens​

"We see a lot of houses on the cosmic street that look just like ours, analogs of the Earth's sun system," Loeb said. "And I think it's very arrogant of us to assume that they don't have residents."

 

[Gottahavemysips]

I hate Avi Loeb and his jeet pet Amir Siraj so much.

This pop-sci everything is HECKIN ALIENS XD bullshit needs to end.

Eh, ultimately shit like this is relatively harmless in the rat race to seek funding. Sure, it's a bit faggy, but trying to pique people's curiosity through some dishonesty is far better than being an alarmist who does shit dishonestly. It's my big issue with climate scientists, whose whole grift has practically become crying wolf, making wild predictions that repeatedly fall short while collecting tons of funding and influencing policy.
In a world where there's scientists who cash in off of stuff like apocalyptic doomsaying, cutting off children's genitals, and forcing policy to jab people with an untested vaccine, some astronomer building up hype by using pop science bullshit is really small peanuts.

 

[Overly Serious]

I think I've seen this movie.


With a little luck, the aliens will look like Mathilda May.

 

[Dagobert]

trying to pique people's curiosity through some dishonesty is far better than being an alarmist who does shit dishonestly.

It ends up turning into the same thing: A bunch of ignorant retards. Most people who end up following Loeb et al. won't possess the capacity to go beyond their initial misinformed status and will instead get suckered into UFO woo mumbo jumbo indefinitely.

 

[Tacgnol]

With a little luck, the aliens will look like Mathilda May.

They'll be trannies that look like Brian May, kicked off their home planet for being annoying and gay.

 

[Sonic]

These people want to bitch about "misinformation" being "harmful" but they give retards like Avi Loeb a platform. Wtf is that???

 

[TenMilesWide]

I wouldn't use a comet as a vehicle for interstellar travel. Maybe an asteroid, but comets are mostly ice. That nifty looking tail is made of surface material sublimating off and blasting into space, meaning any external structures you build would see the ground melt away beneath them.
You would have to hollow it out and build an internal structure, like some sort of space rocket igloo. I simply refuse to believe that space eskimos exist.

 

[Tacgnol]

I wouldn't use a comet as a vehicle for interstellar travel. Maybe an asteroid, but comets are mostly ice. That nifty looking tail is made of surface material sublimating off and blasting into space, meaning any external structures you build would see the ground melt away beneath them.
You would have to hollow it out and build an internal structure, like some sort of space rocket igloo. I simply refuse to believe that space eskimos exist.

Hollowed out is key. You get water ice to split into hydrogen and oxygen and also use as radiation shielding.

If you get enough lead up time, you can shape the glaciermobile to look like a 1973 Ford Pinto before heading out.

 

[cybertoaster]

Oh shit not this idiot again, he said the same about oumuamua the flat/cigar-shaped one which was even weirder since it didn't have a coma.

By this logic we should assume its a time-traveling invasion ship from the year 1038281 and/or a massive conglomerate of Oreo double-stuff cookies or perhaps just a very dry aged cheese.

>not a gigantic m&m

What kind of astronomer are you?

 

[RodgerDodger]

Further evidence that there is no intelligent life in the Universties

 

[A-Stump]

I hope them aliens are real so that I have more things to FUCK

 

[TowinKarz]

Eh, ultimately shit like this is relatively harmless in the rat race to seek funding. Sure, it's a bit faggy, but trying to pique people's curiosity through some dishonesty is far better than being an alarmist who does shit dishonestly.

Where you go wrong is falling into the use-car-salesman trap and lying juuuuust a bit too much in the flawed belief that if a little fibbing gets people interested? Then a big ol made-it-the-fuck-up will get them RUNNING right to your door with cash-in-hand.

(and the alarmists do the same, so yes, I hate them too)

You think "scientists" would know this.

 

[WonderWino]

Come on now its just marfalump coming by to get a few cases of pepsi and catch the phanton menace when it comes out. Unfortunately he fucked up with the time dilation stuff and didn't realize its not the summer of 1999 anymore

 

[Rei is Shit.]

forget about epstein pay attention to aliens

 

[Chunky Salsa]

I hope it's a relativistic kinetic kill vehicle here to fucking end us.

 

[Hey Johnny Bravo]

Didn't google him but his name alone isn't inspiring me to take him seriously.

Avi Leob is actually pretty great. His shtick is to try and eliminate the stigma against supposing that certain astrophysical phenomenon could be explained by extraterrestrial life. Objects like Oumuamua behaved very strangely and lots of people wondered if it was an alien probe, but no one had the balls to say it because even joking about it can ruin your academic career.

 

[The Internet Dick]

I looked up Dr. Loeb's Wikipedia entry. He's an accomplished and respected member of the scientific community and has demonstrably advanced human knowledge in the field of astrophysics. He also happens to say shit like this:

In 2024, Loeb delivered a speech in which he declared his view that the Messiah will be an alien who arrives from outer space.

I have a keen layman's interest in physics, math, and astronomy so subscribe to several science-related channels. On one of them, a theoretical mathematician devoted an entire video to the seemingly common phenomenon of highly accomplished and reputable scientists who gradually (or sometimes quickly) veer off into the kooky and bizarre, ranging from mild eccentricity to the extreme of outright batshit craziness. It happens with such regularity that those working in these rarefied fields consider mental instability a job hazard. As causal factors, she points to both professional pressures and to the abstract, incredibly complex nature of their work itself. Breakdowns happen in all highly stressful professions. That's what has happened to Loeb. He's lost his shit.

 

[Unarmed Gunman]

"We should put all possibilities on the table that it's a rock, a comet, or something else until we get the evidence.."

OK then, I suspect it is a loaf of bread.

 

[Otterly]

I really hope it’s aliens, and they land on Downing Street, give starmer a wedgie refuse to elaborate, and leave

 

[Tasty Tatty]

"Scientists" will always say we need to entertain all possibilities, except God. God is never a possibility, in fact, all the possibilities are always whatever answer that can disprove the one that could be God.

Funny how that works...

Back to topic, it could be aliens, but it also could be the return of Jesus Christ. It could be anything. Saying that it's the dumbest thing a "scientist" could say, also the smartest.

Personally, I hope the aliens bring the Epstein list...

 

[The News Crews]

"Scientists" will always say we need to entertain all possibilities, except God. God is never a possibility, in fact, all the possibilities are always whatever answer that can disprove the one that could be God.

I'm not sure what you are talking about, there are plenty of scientists who believe in god and make arguments for its existence. In fact around half of scientists believe in a higher power (at least in 2009 that is)

https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2009/11/05/scientists-and-belief#:~:text=A%20survey%20of%20scientists%20who,of%20Americans%20share%20this%20view.