For centuries, we’ve looked to the stars and wondered: what would alien beings look like, think like, act like? Yet we almost never flip the question around. What might they think of us?
If you’re a human, that answer might sting.
“If I were an outsider watching Earth from far away, I’d feel let down,” says Avi Loeb, a theoretical physicist. “Most of our energy goes into fighting each other, stopping others from hurting us, or us hurting them. Look at the war in Ukraine over a strip of land. That’s not intelligent behavior.”
The conversation about UFOs and extraterrestrials exploded again recently. Former President Barack Obama, during a podcast interview, admitted aliens are “real”—though he’s never met one and insists they’re not locked up in Area 51. Soon after, President Donald Trump announced plans to release government files, citing “tremendous public interest,” reports AP.
Meanwhile, NASA’s Artemis II mission is preparing to send astronauts on a lunar flyby, adding fresh fuel to the mystery. As Earth struggles with war, climate instability, social fractures, and unrest, it’s natural to wonder: what would newcomers make of this chaotic planet?
According to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey, about two-thirds of Americans believe intelligent life exists elsewhere. Half of US adults think military-reported UFOs are “definitely” or “probably” proof of that.
“We don’t want to accept that this tiny planet—in a universe so vast it breaks the mind—is the only place where life, intelligence, or technology has emerged,” says Bill Diamond, head of the SETI Institute in California. “It says something about us: we hate being alone.”
Something is out there. But what?
American fascination with alien life began in earnest after the 1947 Roswell, New Mexico incident, where military officials first claimed to have recovered a “flying disc,” then quickly backtracked, calling it a weather balloon.
Hollywood seized the story. Soon, flying saucers, little green men, and gray-skinned humanoids became pop culture icons. April 5 is even celebrated as “First Contact Day” by Star Trek fans—the fictional date in 2063 when humans first meet Vulcans.
But why do so many movies depict aliens as hostile? Priscilla Wald, a Duke University professor of science fiction, offers a sharp theory.
“I think it’s a mirror,” she says. “We’re projecting our own behavior onto them. Aliens arrive, conquer, destroy—sound familiar? That’s us.”
In 2024, the Pentagon released hundreds of reports on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). None pointed to extraterrestrial origins. Still, public curiosity refuses to fade.
Debbie Dmytro, a 56-year-old medical worker from Michigan, saw something strange twice. In March, she spotted a greenish object over Royal Oak—neither plane nor helicopter. She admits it could have been a drone. But a 2023 sighting north of Detroit was harder to explain.
“Four golden-yellow lights, flying very low, perfectly synchronized, totally silent,” she recalls. “About 100 feet up. Was it man-made? Who knows?”
From UFOs to UAPs: What the experts say
The term “UFO” has largely been replaced by “UAP”—unidentified anomalous phenomena. And according to Diamond, “Absolutely, such things exist. People see objects in the sky they can’t immediately identify as planes, drones, birds, or weather effects.”
Retired Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet goes further. “There’s clear evidence that UAP are moving through our skies and oceans,” he says. “The nonhuman intelligence behind them is real. We’ve recovered crashed craft. Whether they’re extraterrestrial? That we don’t know.”
Gallaudet, who once led NOAA and testified at a 2024 congressional hearing on UAP disclosure, says Trump’s promise to release government files is a step forward—but only if followed through.
University of Michigan astronomer Edwin Bergin notes that with billions of galaxies and trillions of stars, the odds of other life are high. He believes any intelligent visitors capable of reaching us would make contact openly—chaos or not.
“They’d probably think we’re insane,” Bergin says with a laugh. “But they’d still show up. Why travel all this way just to hide?”
Loeb agrees—sort of. “They might be laughing at us,” he says. “Or watching to make sure we don’t become a threat.”
National security vs public curiosity
Much government secrecy around UAP stems from national security, Diamond explains. “We have advanced satellites and sensors—many for defense. When they detect something unusual, the technology itself is classified.”
Gallaudet, who spent 32 years in the Navy and has seen classified UAP footage, warns of near-misses with military aircraft. “That’s a real concern,” he says. “We don’t know what these things are—or what they want. That could be a threat. Or not. But ignorance is never a good strategy.”
Meanwhile, Diamond remains skeptical that any true alien encounter could stay hidden. “If a civilization can cross interstellar space, their technology is beyond our imagination. If they want to be seen, they will be. If not—they won’t.”
For now, the skies remain a question mark. And as Debbie Dmytro puts it: “I keep an open mind. Just show me the science.”
