Aliens: full of intrigue, excitement and mystery. The mere thought of an alien provokes an abundance of questions. Do they exist? What do they look like? How old is their civilization? Are they even civilized? Will we ever know the answers? Well, one group of scientists claims that aliens are shielding us from the truth because mankind cannot cope with the reality of their existence.
The question whether humans are alone or not in the universe has long fired our imaginations, including the world's top minds. The lack of extraterrestrial evidence and yet arguably a high probability they exist has continued to perplex experts. But aliens may have already found us and are intentionally hiding themselves, extraterrestrial observers have claimed. Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or METI, researchers have proposed aliens could be holding humans in a "galactic zoo", simply watching us without revealing themselves, to avoid triggering pandemonium on Earth. Dr. Douglas Vakoch, president of METI said, "Perhaps extraterrestrials are watching humans on Earth, much like we watch animals in a zoo."
Jean-Pierre Rospars, an honorary research director at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, said, "It seems likely that extraterrestrials are imposing a galactic quarantine because they realize it would be culturally disruptive for us to learn about them. Cognitive evolution on Earth shows random features while also following predictable paths. We can expect the repeated, independent emergence of intelligent species in the universe, and we should expect to see more or less similar forms of intelligence everywhere, under favorable conditions." Director Rospars adds, "There is no reason to think that humans have reached the highest cognitive level possible. Higher levels might evolve on Earth in the future and may have already been reached elsewhere."
Scientists from all disciplines gather at a Parisian science museum to explore a conundrum known as the Fermi Paradox, popularized in 1950 by Italian physicist Enrico Fermi, who simply asked: "where is everybody?" The Fermi Paradox addresses a contradiction in astronomy, summarized as if extraterrestrial life and even intelligent alien civilizations are not just likely, but highly probable, then why have none of them contacted us? Are there biological or sociological explanations for this "Great Silence?"
Dr. Vakoch asks, "How can we get these galactic zookeepers to reveal themselves?"
Some scientists say mankind needs to be more direct in their approach, in order to make contact. Such an unexpected and extreme action could certainly garner a response from the observer. And that prompt could be as simple as a radio signal transmission to nearby stars. However, this has been attempted on numerous occasions to no avail as of yet.
