Gloaba Warming - But not as we know it!

[Jesus Jones]

I guess running out of ideas, and realizing how folks will fall for any shit given to them, aliens might just buck a few ideas up.
m.guardian.co.uk

soz.. Can't paste text from my gt tab.

[baby maker]

Butterfly...comment Please...so many out there ideas on the link...

Loved your I.T. thread...how about a double with a E.T. thread....

[Neo]

I guess running out of ideas, and realizing how folks will fall for any shit given to them, aliens might just buck a few ideas up.
m.guardian.co.uk

soz.. Can't paste text from my gt tab.

0

Aliens may destroy humanity to protect other civilisations, say scientists
Rising greenhouse emissions could tip off aliens that we are a rapidly expanding threat, warns a report
When they see what a mess we've made of our planet, extraterrestrials may be forced to take drastic action. Photograph: PR


Ian Sample, science correspondent
The Guardian, Thu 18 Aug 2011 19.04 BST



It may not rank as the most compelling reason to curb greenhouse gases, but reducing our emissions might just save humanity from a pre-emptive alien attack, scientists claim.

Watching from afar, extraterrestrial beings might view changes in Earth's atmosphere as symptomatic of a civilisation growing out of control – and take drastic action to keep us from becoming a more serious threat, the researchers explain.

This highly speculative scenario is one of several described by a Nasa-affiliated scientist and colleagues at Pennsylvania State University that, while considered unlikely, they say could play out were humans and alien life to make contact at some point in the future.

Shawn Domagal-Goldman of Nasa's Planetary Science Division and his colleagues compiled a list of plausible outcomes that could unfold in the aftermath of a close encounter, to help humanity "prepare for actual contact".
In their report, Would Contact with Extraterrestrials Benefit or Harm Humanity? A Scenario Analysis, the researchers divide alien contacts into three broad categories: beneficial, neutral or harmful.

Beneficial encounters ranged from the mere detection of extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI), for example through the interception of alien broadcasts, to contact with cooperative organisms that help us advance our knowledge and solve global problems such as hunger, poverty and disease.

Another beneficial outcome the authors entertain sees humanity triumph over a more powerful alien aggressor, or even being saved by a second group of ETs. "In these scenarios, humanity benefits not only from the major moral victory of having defeated a daunting rival, but also from the opportunity to reverse-engineer ETI technology," the authors write.

Other kinds of close encounter may be less rewarding and leave much of human society feeling indifferent towards alien life. The extraterrestrials may be too different from us to communicate with usefully. They might invite humanity to join the "Galactic Club" only for the entry requirements to be too bureaucratic and tedious for humans to bother with. They could even become a nuisance, like the stranded, prawn-like creatures that are kept in a refugee camp in the 2009 South African movie, District 9, the report explains.

The most unappealing outcomes would arise if extraterrestrials caused harm to humanity, even if by accident. While aliens may arrive to eat, enslave or attack us, the report adds that people might also suffer from being physically crushed or by contracting diseases carried by the visitors. In especially unfortunate incidents, humanity could be wiped out when a more advanced civilisation accidentally unleashes an unfriendly artificial intelligence, or performs a catastrophic physics experiment that renders a portion of the galaxy uninhabitable.

To bolster humanity's chances of survival, the researchers call for caution in sending signals into space, and in particular warn against broadcasting information about our biological make-up, which could be used to manufacture weapons that target humans. Instead, any contact with ETs should be limited to mathematical discourse "until we have a better idea of the type of ETI we are dealing with."

The authors warn that extraterrestrials may be wary of civilisations that expand very rapidly, as these may be prone to destroy other life as they grow, just as humans have pushed species to extinction on Earth. In the most extreme scenario, aliens might choose to destroy humanity to protect other civilisations.

"A preemptive strike would be particularly likely in the early phases of our expansion because a civilisation may become increasingly difficult to destroy as it continues to expand. Humanity may just now be entering the period in which its rapid civilisational expansion could be detected by an ETI because our expansion is changing the composition of the Earth's atmosphere, via greenhouse gas emissions," the report states.

"Green" aliens might object to the environmental damage humans have caused on Earth and wipe us out to save the planet. "These scenarios give us reason to limit our growth and reduce our impact on global ecosystems. It would be particularly important for us to limit our emissions of greenhouse gases, since atmospheric composition can be observed from other planets," the authors write.

Even if we never make contact with extraterrestrials, the report argues that considering the potential scenarios may help to plot the future path of human civilisation, avoid collapse and achieve long-term survival.

• This article was amended on 19 August 2011. The subhead said the report was "for Nasa". This has been corrected.

[kingwilly]

It may not rank as the most compelling reason to curb greenhouse gases, but reducing our emissions might just save humanity from a pre-emptive alien attack, scientists claim.

God might smite humanity too FFS

[The Bold Rodney]

Godddddddddd this is gonna get "pupa" on his UFO soapbox againnnnnnnnnnnn!

[Cujo]

From an intergalactic point of view the only ones we're a threat to are ourselves, and (more terrifyingly) every other species on the planet.
I don't think anyone more than a light year or so away has much to worry about. It won't be long before we're so busy trying to save our own asses to have time to think about looking for other plantets to destroy.

[billy the kid]

it's hard to believe what i'm reading here:
have to go with Koojo on this one.

[Neo]

2009 South African movie, District 9

Blaahdy good film that.

[Deris]

Ain't you seen no movies? Them aliens want our planet hot so them lizard critters can take over! I seen it on TV....

[Agent_Smith]

Them aliens want our planet hot so them lizard critters can take over!

I thought they just wanted our women!

[baby maker]

Them aliens want our planet hot so them lizard critters can take over!

I thought they just wanted our women!

Nar!!....there has been enough probing and expermenting...the results are walking around everwhere....
even the Thai Authorities recognise Aliens.....how thick is that...

Butters....if you would ...you unique delusion would add meat to this thread..

[PlanK]

"A preemptive strike would be particularly likely in the early phases of our expansion because a civilisation may become increasingly difficult to destroy as it continues to expand. Humanity may just now be entering the period in which its rapid civilisational expansion could be detected by an ETI because our expansion is changing the composition of the Earth's atmosphere, via greenhouse gas emissions,"

That explains the last extinction event. Them dinosaurs were just getting too big for their boots.

Them aliens want our planet hot so them lizard critters can take over! I seen it on TV....

Pfffft. The telly is just fiction. When it appears on the internet, you'll know it's true!

[koman]

This just goes to show what happens with research grants. Those who get the grants have to publish. They can publish any crap they like but they have to publish something to keep the money coming in.

An interesting twist on the old idea that aliens were going to invade earth because they had destroyed their own planet. Somebody had to pick up on it sooner or later.....damn good grant material...

[BaitongBoy]

Orson Welles, "The War of the Worlds"...caused a lot of panic in '38...

History...and repetition...