There have been many theories about life outside Earth, and with an increase in sightings of unexplainable objects in the sky it raises the question of alien life, especially if humans have already interacted with them. Even so, with all the so-called interactions and sightings, most can be invalidated according to NPR, they are usually sightings “of pedestrian origin.” which can be “weather balloons to drones, airborne trash, and birds.” These reports all come from unreputable sources with little to no evidence. These false claims lower many people’s belief in aliens as many are used for fame, but what if it was pilots from the Airforce? NPR reports, “There are also calls to remove the stigma for aviators who report UAP sightings and to ensure oversight of government programs that investigate them.” This is important as many aviators who report UAPs, which means unidentified anomalous phenomena, have been fired or heavily questioned when they report sightings of UAP’s. This creates a strong stigma of not reporting any sightings to keep their jobs. The fear of losing their jobs causes a decrease of sightings which, if reported, can be validated much easier through camera footage or communication recordings that can act as proof.
NASA claims, “The ingredients in the recipe for earthly life – water, elements associated with life, available sources of energy – appear to be almost everywhere we’ve looked.” So, there are high probabilities of life throughout our galaxy. With all these planets that have every building block for life, there still has not been any confirmation of life. According to NASA, this is because “observing signs of possible microbial life in exoplanet atmospheres is currently just out of reach.” With the ability to view life in other planets being impossible with technology right now, there can only be theories, like senior Lillian Schaefer who says, “Anything can exist outside of our world, even small cells are still life outside of earth.” This is something many scientists believe, including Avi Leob, a junior professor at Harvard where since 2007 he has been Director of the Institute for Theory and Computation at the Center for Astrophysics. Mr. Leob told CBS that “he and a team of researchers began studying fragments of a meteor believed to be from another solar system. They have reason to think it could even be part of an interstellar spacecraft.” This evidence of possible alien technology crashing on Earth could be a large step in the right direction to proving the existence of life. Even with the extensive studies being done at NASA and the possible interstellar spacecrafta research being done at Harvard University about extraterrestrial life, there are still many people skeptical about the existence of aliens. This is due to the want for physical proof more than just fragments of a meteorite, like junior Tobin Shlick who states, “I need definitive evidence of aliens to believe that they exist.” Others need even more proof of their existence. For example, freshman Edwin Rudolph says, “I would want to see aliens with my own eyes.” Or sophomore Grace Hill who states that, “Seeing them in real life or widespread definitive evidence that many people agree on.”
Recently, some definitive evidence that other worldly life on earth has been released. A congressional subcommittee met on June 26, 2023, to hear testimony from several military officers including David Fravor, a former commander for the US Navy. PBS reports, “Fravor testified that the technology he witnessed was far superior to anything human beings have. He described objects with no visible means of propulsion carrying out sudden maneuvers that no known technology could achieve.” His testimony was backed with clear video evidence of an object caught on camera moving in unexplainable ways. Though the US commander was testifying under oath in the court of law, and he has proof too, many people remain skeptical as there is always the chance that the videos that were released are fake.
Whether aliens are real or not, there are still effects on society as a whole. As the idea of aliens is becoming more widespread with the increasing amount of evidence, more people are starting to believe in them. Due to the improved legitimacy, aliens are being taken more seriously. With some people believing that the government might start to take the concept of extraterrestrial life more seriously and start to increase funding to the space defense department. Especially because, according to PBS, “Two jets had to take evasive action as they encountered a UAP. The description was striking – a dark gray cube inside a clear sphere – quite different from the classic ‘flying saucer.’” This direct attack on American pilots and American jets could be seen as a threat, to not only the government but to national security, especially if the sightings and encounters of aliens are not taken seriously.
