Post by uforn on Feb 10, 2011 2:22:35 GMT 1
UFOs, Aliens, Science, Crop Circles, and Common Sense
By Harvey Craft
UFO Photographs are Often Difficult to Interpret - Giancarlo RossiCrop circles, lights in the sky, alien abduction accounts and on it goes. Is there solid evidence of alien or UFO visitation? More than a photo is needed.
There is no doubt that people see unexplained things in the sky. There is no shortage of people who come forward to report being abducted and examined by alien beings. The military and the scientific community are often accused of conspiracy in hiding information about UFOs.
UFO Sightings and Photographs just Aren’t Enough Evidence
Sightings of UFOs simply aren’t enough evidence by themselves to confirm the existence of extraterrestrial life. Photographs of mysterious lights and objects in the daytime sky have been around for decades. Unfortunately they are typically difficult to interpret.
Hoaxes are one of the primary obstacles to establishing proof of that UFOs are objects from other worlds. Deception is common in many controversial topics when people become desperate to prove a point. Scientists know this, and they have to approach even sophisticated evidence with suspended judgment.
Even renowned scientists have been guilty of hoaxes or bad science. The “cold fusion” controversy of the mid-1980’s caused scientists worldwide to try unsuccessfully to duplicate the process. The science was flawed and the efforts failed.
Many Supporters of the UFO Phenomena have a Cult-Like Belief in UFOs
Astronomers widely believe that extraterrestrial life is inevitable when one considers the enormity of the universe and the trillions of planets thought to be out there. It is a matter of statistical probability that the same conditions that produced life on Earth likely occurred elsewhere. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence – SETI – is a valid scientific effort to find life elsewhere.
The tragic death of 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate cult epitomizes the intensity of the belief of some. There was no evidence that the members would be spirited away in 1997 by a UFO hiding in the tail of Comet Hale-Bopp. They were persuaded by a charismatic leader.
Roswell, New Mexico has become somewhat of a Mecca for various groups who gather there to await some type of UFO event. Roswell, of course, was where remains of an alien spacecraft were allegedly discovered in 1947. Some accounts include the discovery of alien beings among the remains. The government presented its case that the event could be explained by a downed weather balloon, but nothing offered by the military or the government has convinced true believers.
Numerous religions have been ignited by the UFO phenomenon. Religion and science are often at odds. While the dedication of members of the various religions need not be questioned, it does speak to the fact that evidence of a scientific type is not required for many.
The government and the military are frequently villains in this quandary. Their opinions generally are not supportive of the UFO phenomena and are conveniently dismissed by believers. Official explanations are often demoted as cover-ups, and the government and military are co-conspirators inn efforts to hide the truth from the public.
Crop Circles, Pyramids, Nazca Lines, and UFO’s
Much has been made of the appearance of crop circles – particularly in England. They began to appear in the early 1970’s, and although many were quite elaborate, they have proved to be nothing beyond the capability of ordinary humans with a little talent and a mission. In fact, humans have confessed to making them and have demonstrated how they make them.
Yet thousands were ready to assume that such designs were beyond the capability of humans. It is important to know that humans have created things more interesting and complex that crop circles – the Great Wall of China is only one example.
The planes of Nazca in southern Peru are decorated with drawings of animals, insects, and straight lines – some reaching nearly a thousand feet across. The drawings are so large that they are best observed by flying over them. Assumptions have been made that the inhabitants of the area did not have the technology or skills needed to make the figures.
But such conjectures do not give proper credit to early man. Humans have a long history of being intelligent and doing intelligent things. It insults the people of Nazca to simply categorize them as stupid.
Similarly, the construction of the pyramids of Egypt has been somewhat of a mystery over the centuries. Theories have been advanced giving credit to ET – what else could have lifted such massive stones? Archeologists disagree on details, but it is certain that ancient Egyptians had the manpower, resources, and understanding of engineering to build the pyramids.
They weren’t immediately successful –prototypes still exist showing that the techniques used to build the Great Pyramid evolved over centuries during which crude efforts produced some pretty shabby tombs for the early pharaohs.
Photographs Still Fail to Add much Evidence not Even on Youtube
The advent of cheap digital photography has placed cameras everywhere. Logic would seem to predict that the numbers of clear images captured of UFOs would have increased accordingly, but they haven’t.
One might even expect that someone would have whipped out a cell phone camera and snapped off a few quick pictures of an alien or at least a close up of a UFO. Youtube.com has a large collection of so-called sightings, but most are the same old distant lights or badly produced, brief encounters with models.
UFOs are problematic. Astronomers typically believe that life exists elsewhere in the universe – there are even efforts among scientists to find extraterrestrial life. The case for the existence of alien space craft just lack really durable physical evidence. The omnipresence of cameras still hasn’t produced the long-sought irrefutable photograph.
No doubt the truth is out there, but it may not have landed.
Sources:
von Däniken, Erich. Chariots of the Gods: New York: Berkley Trade, 1999.
“SETI at Berkeley,” seti.berkeley.edu. (Accessed: February, 2011)
www.suite101.com/content/ufos-aliens-science-crop-circles-and-common-sense-a344759#ixzz1DVyY0Tq5