Everything you see is filtered through your visual system (imperfect) and your brain (also imperfect, despite what your mom told you). Witness… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
The ideas of science germinate in a matrix of established knowledge gained by experiment; they are not lonesome thoughts, born in a… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
It seems obvious that if a species has the brainpower for speech, along with the sort of appendages that can manipulate a… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
I think a lot of kids are interested in two science subjects: dinosaurs and aliens. The reason is almost genetic; we're hard-wired… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
It's the default premise in science: If you observe something in nature only once, you assume that what you've seen is typical.… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
Typically, only about 2 percent of the American populace tunes in to PBS's 'Nova' series - the most successful science show on… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
The search for extra-terrestrial life is a failure until that moment when it suddenly becomes a success. — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
In the 19th century, if you had a basement lab, you could make major scientific discoveries in your own home. Right? Because… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
Scientists - who prefer explanations subject to laboratory tests - figure that everything we see today was as inevitable as wrinkles, once… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
The split between religion and science is relatively new. Isaac Newton, who first worked out the laws by which gravity held the… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
Here's a news flash: scientists can be wrong. That's no big deal (unless the scientist is you), since research is self-correcting. Consequently,… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
While about one-third of Americans believe in ghosts, you won't find many exhibits on these spooky beings down at the local science… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
In general, when moviemakers talk to scientists, they usually see them as a resource to solve particular technical problems or script problems… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
It's always a tough call deciding whether, as a scientist, you should argue publicly with the creationists. It's a dilemma that I… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
Look, science is hard, it has a reputation of being hard, and the facts are, it is hard, and that's the result… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
A century ago, scientists believed there was only one obvious stomping ground for alien biology in our solar system: Mars. Because it… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
There is a point of view among astronomical researchers that is generally referred to as the Principle of Mediocrity. ... If the… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
There is little chance that aliens from two societies anywhere in the Galaxy will be culturally close enough to really 'get along.'… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
[O]ne might ask why, in a galaxy of a few hundred billion stars, the aliens are so intent on coming to Earth… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
You may not see massive UFO exhibits at your local science museum, but there's no dearth of saucer stories infesting my email.… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
In days gone by, scientists would speak solemnly about our solar system's 'habitable zone' - a theoretical region extending from Venus to… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
Very few societies on Earth developed science as we know it today. On the other hand, the number is not zero -… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
Since the Renaissance, a concept called 'progress' has been baked into our society. Progress - founded on an accumulation of knowledge through… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
People don't learn science in movies. You don't go to the movies thinking, 'I hope I learn some quantum mechanics this afternoon.'… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
It seems that 'rocket scientist' is a job category that's here for the long haul, like 'mortician.' But all this activity masks… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
America's popular heroes have seldom been its great thinkers, and even less its scientists. The success of TV's 'Big Bang Theory,' which… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
It's worth noting that invoking God as the entity who set our universe in motion isn't contradicted by the data. Of course,… — Seth Shostak Copy Share Image
Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research… — Seth Shostak Copy Share
Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered… — Seth Shostak Copy Share
As far as I can tell, the only unambiguous consequence of the claimed invasion of Earth by beings from another star system has been… — Seth Shostak Copy Share
Look, science is hard, it has a reputation of being hard, and the facts are, it is hard, and that's the result of 400… — Seth Shostak Copy Share
Give consideration to the fact that alien astronomers could have scrutinized Earth for more than 4 billion years without detecting any radio signals, despite… — Seth Shostak Copy Share
In a movie, it's often important to have aliens whose gestures and facial expressions can be 'read' by humans. And in the days before… — Seth Shostak Copy Share
Sure, nobody will make a fortune if we figure out why the Big Bang happened. But just about everyone would like to know. — Seth Shostak Copy Share
If you could drive straight down, into a tunnel bored through the crust of the planet, you'd hit this molten mess in about an… — Seth Shostak Copy Share
While I have always thought that the motivation for looking for E.T. was both self-evident and patently worthy, it's possible that I'm a victim… — Seth Shostak Copy Share
I studied Latin in high school, and I was reading stuff from Cicero. And that signal took a few thousand years to get to… — Seth Shostak Copy Share
About the only things that are unique to Earth are our biota and our culture. If aliens ever come here, they'd most likely be… — Seth Shostak Copy Share
This plucky NASA telescope is able to find planets en masse. If you compare planet hunting to prospecting for gold, then Kepler is equivalent… — Seth Shostak Copy Share
The most attractive habitats for synthetic sentience might be the vicinities of exceptional sources of energy - for example black holes, or even the… — Seth Shostak Copy Share
Buying insurance is no one's idea of fun. And it's especially easy to berate something as funky-sounding as writing checks to defend our neighborhoods… — Seth Shostak Copy Share
Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. The slow movement of continents and ocean floors recycles carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans back… — Seth Shostak Copy Share
![“[O]ne might ask why, in a galaxy of a few hundred billion stars, the aliens are so intent on coming to Earth at all. It would be as if every vertebrate in North America somehow felt drawn to a particular house in Peoria, Illinois. Are we really that interesting?” quote by Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/223/seth-shostak-2047_aliens_o-ne-might-ask-why-in-a-galaxy-of-a-few_2866062.png)
