A Harvard scientist who has butted heads with NASA over a mysterious object heading our way has now addressed the possibility it could contain alien intelligence.
According to NASA, the object named 3I/ATLAS is a comet which has originated from outside our own solar system.
However, physicist Avi Loeb isn't so sure.
As the object continues to approach Earth, where it is set to pass at a distance of about 170 million miles, Loeb shared his thoughts on the object and pointed out that what some might assume to be the 'tail' of the comet could actually be a 'fictitious elongation of the image as a result of the object's motion'.
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As a result, Loeb expressed belief the object was more likely to be engineered than naturally occurring. Not only that, but he's now addressed the possibility that it could contain 'alien intelligence'.
In order to determine the existence of 'a superior alien intelligence', there are two factors to take into account, Loeb says in a new Medium post.
These are 'our search effort and how far or silent that intelligence is'.
Loeb explains: "There is no doubt that in order to discover signs of alien intelligence we must be open minded enough to seek it. The opportunities to find a partner on the dating scene scale with the readiness to date and level of effort invested in the search.
"Of course, success depends also on how close the pool of desired partners is. It makes sense to start with our nearest opportunity."
In order to understand more about 3I/ATLAS, Loeb stressed the need to get 'as much data as possible' when the object gets closer to the Sun, which is set to happen on October 29, 2025.
At that time, Loeb explained, scientists will be able to see whether the object truly does have a tail, making it more likely that it's naturally occurring.
However, if 3I/ATLAS shows 'signs of intelligence', then Loeb warned that 'the future of humanity will be different from its past'.
With only a matter of weeks to go until this key date, Loeb also discussed whether humans might 'worship' alien intelligence.
It's possible, Loeb said, but it would require humans developing 'some form of communication which translates into a dependent relationship' with the aliens.
"Having no communication at all with a stranger would trigger a transactional response to ambiguous actions without an understanding of the underlying purpose or meaning of these actions," he explained.
But before we start thinking too hard about ways to communicate with the aliens, let's maybe just figure out if they exist, first.
Emily Brown