Close encounters of the scientific kind

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Despite its perceived association with kooks and conspiracy theorists, there is an active and fascinating field of research that uses UFOs and extraterrestrial life as a jumping point, which is the focus of a conference on UFOs held this coming weekend at the Telus World of Science

Dr Jaymie Matthews, a researcher at the University of British Columbia, will deliver a keynote talk on his work on extrasolar planets—the search for planets outside our solar system—at the conference. His findings could point us to other planets very similar to Earth, a good starting point for any search for sentient life. However, don’t count him in with those who think Elvis was really abducted just yet.

“Well, if there is life elsewhere, they are almost certainly going to be living on planets possibly like our own,” he explained. “But the fundamental reason we do this work is to teach us more about our own backyard. We study distant worlds that seem exotic because they teach more about our own sun. We’re putting our own solar system in context.”

Frank Florian, conference organizer and director of Space Sciences at the science centre, says that too often reports of UFOs are ignored as fantasy, and in doing so many people miss out on the chance to learn more about atmospheric phenomena—even if the UFO turns out to be something easily explainable.
“I think sometimes people just get the wrong impression of UFOs. I wouldn’t say it’s outright negativity, but some people just scoff it off and laugh,” he said.

The field does have its fair share of controversial figures—the conference will also feature talks from Stanton Friedman and Jesse Marcel Jr, two prominent figures associated with the alleged UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico. Friedman, in particular, was the first civilian to document the now-famous incident and maintains that the US government holds alien spacecraft and remains in custody.
Matthews is skeptical of UFO researchers who claim to have uncovered a far-reaching alien conspiracy.
“It’s not that scientists are against the idea of life being elsewhere, it’s just that there is a lack of convincing evidence,” Matthews said. He attributes the popularity of belief in alien visitors to the fact that UFOs have become entrenched in our collective culture.

“If you look at the Weekly World News, you’d think we were the Grand Central Station of the universe,” he said. “It’s part of our collective consciousness that ET is already here.”
Part of the issue may be that we just don’t look, well, up, enough, according to Matthews. “It’s not part of our lives to look up into the skies,” he explained. “They don’t understand what they’re seeing, and I can’t interpret it based on their description.

“I just don’t see the evidence,” he repeated. “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Anyway, it doesn’t make sense to me why governments want to cover it up. Governments are horrible at keeping secrets.”
“If there’s anyone in the world who would want to meet an alien, it’s an astronomer,” he concluded. “I would love these aliens to come and talk to me.” V

ALIENS!
Fri, Sep 14 & Sat, Sep 15
Who’s Out There?
UFO Conference
Telus World of Science
Visit telusworldofscienceedmonton.com for more info

Close encounters of the scientific kind

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