Astronomy on Tap Atlanta: Extraterrestrials Have NOT Been Visiting Earth – Is This Good or Bad?

**Speaker: GSU Astrophysics Professor Sebastien Lepine **

Abstract: Despite many extraordinary claims (UFOs, crop circles, “ancient aliens”, etc…) there is no evidence at all that Earth has ever been visited by extraterrestrial beings. However, most scientists today agree that life should be very common throughout the Universe. It is thus surprising that we have not been visited yet, and this apparent contradiction is popularly known as the “Fermi Paradox”. In this presentation I will first discuss how claims of “alien visitors” all tend to have simpler, much more mundane explanations. I will then talk about the Fermi Paradox, and review a number of solutions that have been proposed over the years to explain why aliens seem to be ignoring us – or do they even exist? Finally, I will elaborate on my own two favorite solutions to the Fermi Paradox (“intelligence is rare” and “space travel takes time”), and what they potentially mean for the future – and survival – of our human species.