usa 'No evidence' for extraterrestrials, says White House

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

'No evidence' for extraterrestrials, says White House

The US government has formally denied that it has any knowledge of contact with extraterrestrial life.

The announcement came as a response to submissions to the We The People website, which promises to address any petition that gains 5,000 signatories.

Two petitions called for disclosure of government information on ETs and an acknowledgement of any contact.

The White House responded that there was "no evidence that any life exists outside our planet".

More than 17,000 citizens joined the two petitions, and the White House has since amended the requirements for response to a minimum of 25,000 signatories.

"The US government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race," wrote space policy expert Phil Larson of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

"In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the public's eye."

The post went on to outline the efforts that are underway that may add evidence to the debate, namely the space missions Kepler and the Mars Science Laboratory.

Kepler is searching for Earth-like planets around far-flung stars, and the Mars Science Laboratory will sample the Red Planet's geology looking for the building blocks of life - though it will not explicitly look for life itself.

Perhaps the most famous effort in the hunt for alien life is the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Seti), once funded in part by US space agency Nasa, which continues to listen to and look around the cosmos for signs of intelligent civilisations elsewhere.

Mr Larson summarised the numbers game that a hunt for ETs necessarily entails.

"Many scientists and mathematicians have looked... at the question of whether life likely exists beyond Earth, and have come to the conclusion that the odds are pretty high that somewhere among the trillions and trillions of stars in the Universe there is a planet other than ours that is home to life," he wrote.

"Many have also noted, however, that the odds of us making contact with any of them - especially any intelligent ones - are extremely small, given the distances involved."

Source: BBC News

[Slugsie]

Standard conspiracy response in 3 ... 2 ... 1...

"It's a coverup. They would say that."

[Teebor]

By some of the recent documentaries I have watched Mars could easily have sustained life but early in its lifespan their was a massive collision iirc that put an end to all that.

Also by some other new(ish) theories space is finite and we are almost at the verge of being able to see how big our actual universe is, and if this is true then the chances of life in others parts of the universe suddenly become much much smaller.

However until we actually find some life somewhere else, or find an edge to the galaxy (if there is one) its still speculation and theory. However I find it VERY interesting to discuss

[Phouchg]

[Japlabot]

It's funny, it seems that the US is the only country that is able to have Extraterrestrial knowledge even though they are not the only country on Earth... If there were Extraterrestrials, they could go to any country.

[Crisp]

It's funny, it seems that the US is the only country that is able to have Extraterrestrial knowledge even though they are not the only country on Earth... If there were Extraterrestrials, they could go to any country.

You blantly havn't seen the film Independence Day. USA is the only country that knows how to do these things.

[Hum]

LOL -- the White House must not have looked very hard. :laugh: How stupid do they think the people are ...

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Standard conspiracy response in 3 ... 2 ... 1...

"It's a coverup. They would say that."

LOL -- the White House must not have looked very hard. :laugh: How stupid do they think the people are ...

It took Hum longer than I had expected to find the thread.

[Nick H. Supervisor]

'No evidence' for extraterrestrials, says White House

More than 17,000 citizens joined the two petitions, and the White House has since amended the requirements for response to a minimum of 25,000 signatories.

Well that's just asking for the conspiracy theorists to continue with their ideas. "Why would the Government up the number from 15,000 to 25,000 people when there were only 17,000 signatures, huh? I'm telling you man, they don't want us to continue to ask them!!"

Personally, while I can understand where the idea of a coverup would come from, and while I could imagine why the Government would cover up such a thing, I honestly don't think they have.

[dnagroove]

ETs and Angles, spirits, fairies, God, Allah, Jesus on toast... the human need for the extraordinary is astounding, to the point of believing anything.

What you people don't understand is that the best thing that could happen to astronomy is finding life on other planets. At that exact moment Astronomy funding will skyrocket and why would anyone in the astronomy community not want that? And with all the leaks, availability of information and the lure of media money - no information is really safe. Especially not something as sensational as that.

And I'm not even starting to talk about the logic, science and reason behind any kind of alien visitation to this planet.

[matt4pack]

LOL -- the White House must not have looked very hard. :laugh: How stupid do they think the people are ...

Very and as your post illustrates it's completly warranted. It's hilarious how people think that something like alien contact could actually be covered up by a government. The government isn't some omnipotent being capable of your wildest imaginations.

The conspiracy theorists sure do know how to make money off of stupid people as Roswell, NM proves that. They have an entire tourism industry created out of it.

[2xSilverKnight]

Very and as your post illustrates it's completly warranted. It's hilarious how people think that something like alien contact could actually be covered up by a government. The government isn't some omnipotent being capable of your wildest imaginations.

The conspiracy theorists sure do have a money making racket going on off of stupid people.

You really think it's the government that controls the information about ufo's or aliens... yeah right, even the dumb conspiracy theorists doesn't even know this. This goes way deeper than most people think.

Most people always says government this , government that ... it's not the government !!

It's like saying that Obama is the most powerfull person on the planet. That's not true at all, he's a puppet. He doesn't even have the highest clearance in the US regarding UFO stuff, far from it.

[Astra.Xtreme]

I think it's about time we go find the president's secret book in the Library of Congress and put all of this to rest...

[matt4pack]

You people watch to many movies, x-files, and history channel alien shows. Of course the President has access to everything. He appoints the Secretary of Defense who oversees everything militarily and he reports to the President.

The theory that there is some shadow parts of the government that are above the President like Men In Black or something is the most absurd thing ever.

It's also funny that now when so many have HD cameras on them at all times we see less UFO footage then we use too.

[jingarelho]

It's funny, it seems that the US is the only country that is able to have Extraterrestrial knowledge even though they are not the only country on Earth... If there were Extraterrestrials, they could go to any country.

No they could not! Everyone knows that extraterrestrial beings only speak the language of god, and by that i mean English.

[2xSilverKnight]

You people watch to many movies, x-files, and history channel alien shows. Of course the President has access to everything. He appoints the Secretary of Defense who oversees everything and he reports to the President.

The theory that there is some shadow parts of the government that are above the President like Men In Black or something is the most absurd thing ever. Some programs are top secret but people still know about them. They just can't talk about it.

bahaha, I don't even watch those shows ... stop assuming ! Again the president doesn't have access to everything. It's pointless to try to explain to you thse kinds of things, because you cannot think outside of the box yet.

[Astra.Xtreme]

bahaha, I don't even watch those shows ... stop assuming ! Again the president doesn't have access to everything. It's pointless to try to explain to you thse kinds of things, because you cannot think outside of the box yet.

It's simply remarkable that you know all of this information.

[2xSilverKnight]

It's simply remarkable that you know all of this information.

I don't know everything, far from it. But you people who seem to assume to know that the president has access to everything are completly wrong.

i though more people knew about this, I guess not.

[c3ntury]

*rubs his tin foil suit*

[matt4pack]

I don't know everything, far from it. But you people who seem to assume to know that the president has access to everything are completly wrong.

i though more people knew about this, I guess not.

So the President isn't aware that he doesn't have all access but you do. That's a pretty good secret you're keeping from him. You must be a goverenment shadow agent yourself.

[Slugsie]

I find it amusing that people think that governments and politicians can cover up these pieces of monumental world changing information that must have thousands of people involved (the Moon landing hoax alone must have had tens of thousands of people in on it for it to actually be pulled off) yet they are utterly incapable of hiding their sexual shenanigans and financial misdealings.

[2xSilverKnight]

So the President isn't aware that he doesn't have all access but you do. That's a pretty good secret you're keeping from him. You must be a goverenment shadow agent yourself.

Of course he knows ... what makes you think he doesn't know ?

[Teebor]

Of course he knows ... what makes you think he doesn't know ?

What makes you think Aliens exist? or that they are capable of reaching Earth?

[zhangm Supervisor]

I can believe that aliens exist.

I can't believe that they don't have anything better to do than to stop by Earth.

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

So the President isn't aware that he doesn't have all access but you do. That's a pretty good secret you're keeping from him. You must be a goverenment shadow agent yourself.

The President is not aware of many things. Do you really believe that the CIA tells POTUS everything...Hardly.