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00:00 The search for alien life has led our gaze all over the universe.
00:04 In the name of science, we've now charted immeasurably distant stars, whole galaxies
00:09 that are millions of light years away from our own, and even black holes and pulsars
00:14 in our unending quest for knowledge.
00:17 But actually, has the ultimate discovery been right alongside us all along?
00:22 This is Unveiled, and today we're answering the extraordinary question; have aliens already
00:28 landed on Earth?
00:31 Do you need the big questions answered?
00:32 Are you constantly curious?
00:34 Then why not subscribe to Unveiled for more clips like this one?
00:37 And ring the bell for more thought-provoking content!
00:41 Do aliens exist?
00:42 It's the question at the heart of so many modern astronomical studies and alternate
00:46 conspiracy theories.
00:48 In terms of pure numbers, it seemingly does seem more likely than not that something other
00:52 than life on Earth is out there.
00:54 The universe is just too darn big for that not to be the case.
00:58 The fact that we haven't discovered alien life yet is an age-old head-scratcher, affectionately
01:02 known as the Fermi Paradox.
01:05 Whenever we move the action closer to home, however, the statistical probability of aliens
01:09 arguably falls, with many onlookers suggesting that it's highly unlikely that alien life
01:15 would even know about us, let alone be here.
01:18 In general, are there aliens on Earth? is a far thornier, more controversial, and more
01:23 complex inquiry then.
01:25 And yet, according to a 2023 draft paper released in the US via the Pentagon, it still could
01:31 be the case that they are already here.
01:34 The paper, titled "Physical Constraints on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena", is presented
01:40 by the Harvard astronomer and head of the Galileo Project, Avi Loeb, and the director
01:45 of the DoD's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, Sean M. Kirkpatrick.
01:51 Both are major players in the world of SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence,
01:56 and in UFO and UAP research.
01:58 In the six-page document, it's outlined exactly how an alien civilization might have already
02:03 reached Earth.
02:04 The explanation begins with 'Oumuamua, the first interstellar object to be detected passing
02:10 through our solar system, when it was picked up by a telescope in Hawaii in October 2017.
02:16 Not only was it found that 'Oumuamua came from interstellar space, however, it was also
02:20 shown to be extremely unusual, with a long, thin, flat shape.
02:25 It was apparently accelerating away from the sun as well, contrary to how most other asteroids
02:30 behave.
02:31 For some, then, including Avi Loeb, it could be that 'Oumuamua isn't and wasn't a naturally-formed
02:37 piece of rock.
02:39 Instead, it might have been a piece of artificial alien technology.
02:43 The 2023 paper adds more colour to that suggestion, however, because if 'Oumuamua were an alien
02:48 ship, then the next question is, what's it doing here?
02:52 Was it passing Earth on purpose, or by chance?
02:55 And given that it was already racing out of the solar system by the time we spotted it,
02:59 then is it really the case that that one flyby will be all that comes of it?
03:04 For Loeb and Kirkpatrick, the answer could tie in with two other objects now suspected
03:09 to have been interstellar as well; IM1 and IM2.
03:14 Interstellar Meteor-1 actually crashed through Earth's atmosphere and into the ocean years
03:18 earlier in January 2014.
03:21 Interstellar Meteor-2 burnt through the atmosphere in March 2017, about six months before 'Oumuamua
03:27 was sighted.
03:28 It took time for the significance of both objects to be realised, which is why 'Oumuamua
03:33 still goes down as the first detected interstellar find.
03:37 But Loeb and Kirkpatrick suggest that IM1 and IM2 could be indicative of a far wider
03:42 truth.
03:43 Although the paper says that the objects, particularly IM2, are unrelated, the case
03:48 is combined do give some serious food for thought.
03:51 It's further explained, "The coincidences between some orbital parameters of Oumuamua
03:57 and IM2 inspire us to consider the possibility that an artificial interstellar object could
04:03 potentially be a 'parent craft' that releases 'many small probes' during its
04:09 close passage to Earth."
04:12 That possibility is described as "an operational construct not too dissimilar from NASA missions",
04:18 referring to how NASA might employ a lander from an orbiter when exploring another moon
04:22 or planet.
04:23 On the face of it, it's a tactic that could certainly work.
04:26 The "small probes" are then referred to as "dandelion seeds", as it's shown
04:30 how they could easily be small enough to evade detection, even from our most advanced telescopes
04:35 like the James Webb.
04:37 That said, they could still be one metre wide or more, i.e. they could still represent a
04:42 substantial piece of machinery, while remaining unseen by us, their targets.
04:47 And they might only ever be seen were they to burn up on entry into our atmosphere, an
04:51 event that could easily be mistaken for a standard meteor shower.
04:55 Or that's the theory, at least.
04:56 In the time since the draft paper was released, various doubts have been cast, including even
05:01 over the interstellar nature of IMs 1 and 2 to begin with - although Loeb especially
05:06 has given numerous interviews attesting to the fact that they surely did come from beyond
05:11 our solar system.
05:13 Either way, the paper does concede that we're not currently being "bombarded" with interstellar
05:17 material of any kind, explaining that, quote, "for every interstellar near-Earth object,
05:23 there are a thousand solar system near-Earth objects of the same size", end of quote.
05:28 Searching for the potential "dandelion seeds" of an alien arrival, then, is an extremely
05:32 difficult task.
05:34 But what if this proposed dispersal of alien tech is really what's happening?
05:39 What does the new landscape of near-Earth space look like?
05:42 The paper describes how, quote, "once an Earth-like planet is targeted, an interstellar
05:46 device can plunge into its atmosphere.
05:49 In principle, a multitude of tiny devices can be released from a mothership that passes
05:53 near Earth", end quote.
05:55 It suggested that those would then slow down upon close approach to our planet, to avoid
06:01 burning up, before pursuing their objectives wherever they land.
06:05 According to the paper, though, it's unlikely that their objectives would have anything
06:09 to do with humankind.
06:11 Given the timescales at play for interstellar travel, anything that does arrive will have
06:15 needed to have left home millions of years before our species emerged.
06:20 If it were the case, then, that 'Oumuamua was a passing alien ship on some kind of reconnaissance
06:25 mission, then the presence of humanity will most likely have been a surprise to it.
06:30 Finally, even were an alien ship to land on Earth, and even if that did go undetected
06:35 by us, then could that mean that alien life is already here as a result?
06:39 For Loeb and Kirkpatrick, probably not.
06:42 It's likely that any functional devices embedded in the Earth's atmosphere are not
06:46 carrying biological entities, they say, because these would not survive the long journey through
06:51 interstellar space in its harsh conditions.
06:53 Instead, they propose that AI-driven vehicles are what we should really be expecting, referring
06:58 to self-replicating von Neumann probes and devices capable of machine learning to adapt
07:04 to their mission.
07:05 This is something that humankind has also entered into with our own space programs,
07:09 although on a much smaller scale.
07:11 Almost all of the off-Earth missions we launch are piloted and conducted by robots and rovers.
07:17 This way, there's no danger of loss of life, there's greater likelihood that any one
07:21 mission can continue for a long time, and the payloads we send up can be much smaller.
07:26 Most of what Loeb and Kirkpatrick suggest amounts to the same strategy, only far more
07:31 advanced.
07:32 So, what's your verdict?
07:34 If aliens have arrived in the solar system, or even onto our planet, then is this how
07:38 they would have done it?
07:39 A far-off mothership, depositing a mass of relatively tiny probes that, for the most
07:44 part, remain wholly unnoticed by us?
07:47 Might we have already seen this game plan in action, though?
07:50 And if it is possible, then where does that leave us, in the grand scheme of the universe?
07:54 Today, we've never been in a better position to investigate the potential for alien life.
07:59 We have countless telescopes dotted all over the world, and distributed out into space
08:04 itself.
08:05 They all provide a unique perspective of the surrounding cosmos, viewing it through
08:09 different wavelengths of light, and from different positions.
08:12 And when we combine all of that data into one, the true nature of what's out there
08:17 really starts to take shape.
08:19 If we are being watched, then perhaps it's only a matter of time before we find that
08:22 out… and if we have been breached, then we might soon come to realise exactly to what
08:27 extent.
08:28 But for now, with the sky potentially awash with artificial seeds sent from far, far away…
08:34 that's how aliens might have already landed on Earth.
08:38 What do you think?
08:39 Is there anything we missed?
08:40 Let us know in the comments, check out these other clips from Unveiled, and make sure you
08:44 subscribe and ring the bell for our latest content.