--- title: "8 Fact Quotes By Seth Shostak" description: "8 Fact quotes by Seth Shostak. Plus more from Seth Shostak and more Fact sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/seth-shostak-2047_alien_give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alie_49116.png" --- > [Give consideration to the fact that alien astronomers could have scrutinized Earth for more than 4 billion years without detecting any radio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alien-astronomers-could-have/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/seth-shostak-2047_alien_give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alie_49116.png) > [Thanks to the fact that the Earth isn't a perfect sphere, and invoking a bunch of Newtonian physics, you can deduce that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/thanks-to-the-fact-that-the-earth-isn-t-a-perfect-sphere-and-invoking/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/seth-shostak-2047_bunch_thanks-to-the-fact-that-the-earth-isn-t_1075565.png) > [I've often fantasized about visiting the Bahamian beach where Columbus first stumbled ashore in 1492. Sadly, no one knows where that beach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/i-ve-often-fantasized-about-visiting-the-bahamian-beach-where/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/seth-shostak-2047_about_i-ve-often-fantasized-about-visiting-the_1953491.png) > [Most of the intelligence out there must be artificial intelligence. We keep looking for critters like us living on a planet like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/most-of-the-intelligence-out-there-must-be-artificial-intelligence-we/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/seth-shostak-2047_argument_most-of-the-intelligence-out-there-must_2217329.jpg) > [Television is ephemeral, a fact that some will find reassuring. But earthlings will continue to pump the kilowatts into the ether. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/television-is-ephemeral-a-fact-that-some-will-find-reassuring-but/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/seth-shostak-2047_continue_television-is-ephemeral-a-fact-that-some_2682417.jpg) > [The fact that we can't easily foresee clues that would betray an intelligence a million millennia farther down the road suggests that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-fact-that-we-can-t-easily-foresee-clues-that-would-betray-an/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/seth-shostak-2047_advanced_the-fact-that-we-can-t-easily-foresee-cl_2853329.png) > [Are two eyes, four appendages and an upright posture really essential for any creature that can ace the galactic SAT's? Maybe not.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/are-two-eyes-four-appendages-and-an-upright-posture-really-essential/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad1/seth-shostak-2047_ace_are-two-eyes-four-appendages-and-an-upri_2950292.png) > [If aliens are really hanging out in our 'hood, it's hard to imagine any other fact more worthy of study. If not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/if-aliens-are-really-hanging-out-in-our-hood-it-s-hard-to-imagine-any/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/seth-shostak-2047_alien_if-aliens-are-really-hanging-out-in-our_3002616.png) ## Other authors on Fact ## More by Seth Shostak > [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [As far as I can tell, the only unambiguous consequence of the claimed invasion of Earth by beings from another star system has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/as-far-as-i-can-tell-the-only-unambiguous-consequence-of-the-claimed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/look-science-is-hard-it-has-a-reputation-of-being-hard-and-the-facts/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Give consideration to the fact that alien astronomers could have scrutinized Earth for more than 4 billion years without detecting any radio signals, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alien-astronomers-could-have/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-a-movie-it-s-often-important-to-have-aliens-whose-gestures-and/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Sure, nobody will make a fortune if we figure out why the Big Bang happened. But just about everyone would like to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/sure-nobody-will-make-a-fortune-if-we-figure-out-why-the-big-bang/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/if-you-could-drive-straight-down-into-a-tunnel-bored-through-the/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/while-i-have-always-thought-that-the-motivation-for-looking-for-e-t/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [I studied Latin in high school, and I was reading stuff from Cicero. And that signal took a few thousand years to get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/i-studied-latin-in-high-school-and-i-was-reading-stuff-from-cicero/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/about-the-only-things-that-are-unique-to-earth-are-our-biota-and-our/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [This plucky NASA telescope is able to find planets en masse. If you compare planet hunting to prospecting for gold, then Kepler is equivalent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/this-plucky-nasa-telescope-is-able-to-find-planets-en-masse-if-you/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [The most attractive habitats for synthetic sentience might be the vicinities of exceptional sources of energy - for example black holes, or even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-most-attractive-habitats-for-synthetic-sentience-might-be-the/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/buying-insurance-is-no-one-s-idea-of-fun-and-it-s-especially-easy-to/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. The slow movement of continents and ocean floors recycles carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-destruction-the-slow-movement-of/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact/seth-shostak/#itemlist", "name": "8 Fact Quotes By Seth Shostak", "numberOfItems": 8, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Give consideration to the fact that alien astronomers could have scrutinized Earth for more than 4 billion years without detecting any radio signals, despite the fact that our world is the poster child for habitability.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alien-astronomers-could-have/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/seth-shostak-2047_alien_give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alie_49116.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/seth-shostak-2047_alien_give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alie_49116.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/seth-shostak-2047_alien_give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alie_49116.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Give consideration to the fact that alien astronomers could have scrutinized Earth for more than 4 billion…” — Seth Shostak", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Thanks to the fact that the Earth isn't a perfect sphere, and invoking a bunch of Newtonian physics, you can deduce that our planet wobbles, too, taking roughly 26,000 years to trace out a small circle on the sky, a phenomenon known as precession.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/thanks-to-the-fact-that-the-earth-isn-t-a-perfect-sphere-and-invoking/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/seth-shostak-2047_bunch_thanks-to-the-fact-that-the-earth-isn-t_1075565.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/seth-shostak-2047_bunch_thanks-to-the-fact-that-the-earth-isn-t_1075565.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/seth-shostak-2047_bunch_thanks-to-the-fact-that-the-earth-isn-t_1075565.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Thanks to the fact that the Earth isn't a perfect sphere, and invoking a bunch of Newtonian physics, you can…” — Seth Shostak", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've often fantasized about visiting the Bahamian beach where Columbus first stumbled ashore in 1492. Sadly, no one knows where that beach is. In fact, no one's even sure which island Columbus first encountered (there are three candidates). It's a pity, a disappointment, and a lost revenue source for the Bahamians.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/i-ve-often-fantasized-about-visiting-the-bahamian-beach-where/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/seth-shostak-2047_about_i-ve-often-fantasized-about-visiting-the_1953491.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/seth-shostak-2047_about_i-ve-often-fantasized-about-visiting-the_1953491.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/seth-shostak-2047_about_i-ve-often-fantasized-about-visiting-the_1953491.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've often fantasized about visiting the Bahamian beach where Columbus first stumbled ashore in 1492. 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That would be my argument.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/most-of-the-intelligence-out-there-must-be-artificial-intelligence-we/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/seth-shostak-2047_argument_most-of-the-intelligence-out-there-must_2217329.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/seth-shostak-2047_argument_most-of-the-intelligence-out-there-must_2217329.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/seth-shostak-2047_argument_most-of-the-intelligence-out-there-must_2217329.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most of the intelligence out there must be artificial intelligence. 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And eventually, when those signals have washed over a few hundred thousand star systems, someone may notice.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/television-is-ephemeral-a-fact-that-some-will-find-reassuring-but/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/seth-shostak-2047_continue_television-is-ephemeral-a-fact-that-some_2682417.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/seth-shostak-2047_continue_television-is-ephemeral-a-fact-that-some_2682417.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/seth-shostak-2047_continue_television-is-ephemeral-a-fact-that-some_2682417.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Television is ephemeral, a fact that some will find reassuring. 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Ask yourself: Would ants ever recognize houses, cars, or fire hydrants as the work of advanced biology?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-fact-that-we-can-t-easily-foresee-clues-that-would-betray-an/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/seth-shostak-2047_advanced_the-fact-that-we-can-t-easily-foresee-cl_2853329.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/seth-shostak-2047_advanced_the-fact-that-we-can-t-easily-foresee-cl_2853329.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/seth-shostak-2047_advanced_the-fact-that-we-can-t-easily-foresee-cl_2853329.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The fact that we can't easily foresee clues that would betray an intelligence a million millennia farther…” — Seth Shostak", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Are two eyes, four appendages and an upright posture really essential for any creature that can ace the galactic SAT's? 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If not, then why does such a large fraction of the populace insist on believing they're here?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/if-aliens-are-really-hanging-out-in-our-hood-it-s-hard-to-imagine-any/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/seth-shostak-2047_alien_if-aliens-are-really-hanging-out-in-our_3002616.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/seth-shostak-2047_alien_if-aliens-are-really-hanging-out-in-our_3002616.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/seth-shostak-2047_alien_if-aliens-are-really-hanging-out-in-our_3002616.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If aliens are really hanging out in our 'hood, it's hard to imagine any other fact more worthy of study. 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