--- title: "23 Would Quotes By Seth Shostak" description: "23 Would quotes by Seth Shostak. Plus more from Seth Shostak and more Would sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/seth-shostak-2047_argument_most-of-the-intelligence-out-there-must_2217329.jpg" --- > [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) > [Sure, nobody will make a fortune if we figure out why the Big Bang happened. But just about everyone would like to…](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/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/seth-shostak-2047_about_sure-nobody-will-make-a-fortune-if-we-fi_73793.png) > [If gravity were somewhat stronger or weaker, stars wouldn't exist, and neither would you. And the same can be said of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/if-gravity-were-somewhat-stronger-or-weaker-stars-wouldn-t-exist-and/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_if-gravity-were-somewhat-stronger-or-wea_727283.png) > [Any society that could come here could pick up the lights from New York. What should we do about that? Should we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/any-society-that-could-come-here-could-pick-up-the-lights-from-new/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30e/seth-shostak-2047_about_any-society-that-could-come-here-could-p_1127221.jpg) > [Mountains aren't eternal: even the most imposing massifs are smoothed away by weathering in a few hundred million years or less. Plate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/mountains-aren-t-eternal-even-the-most-imposing-massifs-are-smoothed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/seth-shostak-2047_away_mountains-aren-t-eternal-even-the-most-i_1533754.png) > [In general, when moviemakers talk to scientists, they usually see them as a resource to solve particular technical problems or script problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-general-when-moviemakers-talk-to-scientists-they-usually-see-them/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad6/seth-shostak-2047_able_in-general-when-moviemakers-talk-to-scie_1139361.png) > [Note to academics: Aristarchus' track record of astronomical research would probably have guaranteed him tenure somewhere, if tenure had been invented. His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/note-to-academics-aristarchus-track-record-of-astronomical-research/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/seth-shostak-2047_academics_note-to-academics-aristarchus-track-reco_1077552.png) > [Admittedly, it would take industrial-grade chutzpah and a massive dose of malevolence for anyone to bulldoze the spot where Neil Armstrong stepped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/admittedly-it-would-take-industrial-grade-chutzpah-and-a-massive-dose/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/seth-shostak-2047_admittedly_admittedly-it-would-take-industrial-grad_3097067.png) > [Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. The slow movement of continents and ocean floors recycles carbon dioxide dissolved in the…](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/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3da/seth-shostak-2047_atmosphere_plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-des_189683.png) > [Heads are a good deal, and I think they would be a common feature. It's hard to think of species that don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/heads-are-a-good-deal-and-i-think-they-would-be-a-common-feature-it-s/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/seth-shostak-2047_although_heads-are-a-good-deal-and-i-think-they-w_645678.png) > [Sending greeting cards to aliens is hardly a new idea. In 2005, Craigslist solicited messages for broadcast to space by a transmitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/sending-greeting-cards-to-aliens-is-hardly-a-new-idea-in-2005/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/205/seth-shostak-2047_alien_sending-greeting-cards-to-aliens-is-hard_2538256.png) > [It's worth noting that invoking God as the entity who set our universe in motion isn't contradicted by the data. Of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/it-s-worth-noting-that-invoking-god-as-the-entity-who-set-our/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/seth-shostak-2047_being_it-s-worth-noting-that-invoking-god-as-t_825771.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) > ['Battleship' is not a film that Francois Truffaut would have made. Nor would any of those other namby-pamby European directors. Nope, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/battleship-is-not-a-film-that-francois-truffaut-would-have-made-nor/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/seth-shostak-2047_any_battleship-is-not-a-film-that-francois-t_2614649.jpg) > [Are we the only members of the Galaxy that can actually understand what a galaxy is? Could Homo sapiens really be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/are-we-the-only-members-of-the-galaxy-that-can-actually-understand/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e8/seth-shostak-2047_actually_are-we-the-only-members-of-the-galaxy-th_2072937.jpg) > [Even if the Moon didn't exist - even if it had been vaporized billions of years ago by cantankerous Klingons - there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/even-if-the-moon-didn-t-exist-even-if-it-had-been-vaporized-billions/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/seth-shostak-2047_been_even-if-the-moon-didn-t-exist-even-if-it_1595260.png) > [The planets and moons of our solar system are blatantly visible because they reflect sunlight. Without the nearby Sun, these planets would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-planets-and-moons-of-our-solar-system-are-blatantly-visible/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/seth-shostak-2047_because_the-planets-and-moons-of-our-solar-syste_2245455.jpg) > [The space elevator's not just another competitive technology, promoted by people who simply like the idea of diminishing the luster of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-space-elevator-s-not-just-another-competitive-technology-promoted/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/seth-shostak-2047_another_the-space-elevator-s-not-just-another-co_2280860.png) > [Diminutive worlds are more likely to be rocky, and lapped by oceans and atmospheres. In the vernacular of 'Star Trek,' these would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/diminutive-worlds-are-more-likely-to-be-rocky-and-lapped-by-oceans/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/seth-shostak-2047_begin_diminutive-worlds-are-more-likely-to-be_835937.jpg) > [The next time you check your moves in the mirror and reflect on how special you are, consider that somewhere in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-next-time-you-check-your-moves-in-the-mirror-and-reflect-on-how/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/seth-shostak-2047_another_the-next-time-you-check-your-moves-in-th_1336326.png) > [In days gone by, scientists would speak solemnly about our solar system's 'habitable zone' - a theoretical region extending from Venus to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-days-gone-by-scientists-would-speak-solemnly-about-our-solar/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/seth-shostak-2047_about_in-days-gone-by-scientists-would-speak-s_1960851.png) > [Hollywood usually guesses that extraterrestrials would only be interested in one of three things: (1) They want to breed with us, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/hollywood-usually-guesses-that-extraterrestrials-would-only-be/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68a/seth-shostak-2047_because_hollywood-usually-guesses-that-extraterr_1748859.png) > [Explorers tend to be the aggressive types - why else would they risk scurvy, mutiny and other bad things to go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/explorers-tend-to-be-the-aggressive-types-why-else-would-they-risk/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f9/seth-shostak-2047_actually_explorers-tend-to-be-the-aggressive-type_2765324.jpg) ## Other authors on Would ## 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/would/seth-shostak/#itemlist", "name": "23 Would Quotes By Seth Shostak", "numberOfItems": 23, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most of the intelligence out there must be artificial intelligence. We keep looking for critters like us living on a planet like ours, where in fact the majority of the intelligence out there is not biological. 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So, something like: what sort of weaponry would aliens be able to wield?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-general-when-moviemakers-talk-to-scientists-they-usually-see-them/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad6/seth-shostak-2047_able_in-general-when-moviemakers-talk-to-scie_1139361.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad6/seth-shostak-2047_able_in-general-when-moviemakers-talk-to-scie_1139361.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad6/seth-shostak-2047_able_in-general-when-moviemakers-talk-to-scie_1139361.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In general, when moviemakers talk to scientists, they usually see them as a resource to solve particular…” — Seth Shostak", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Note to academics: Aristarchus' track record of astronomical research would probably have guaranteed him tenure somewhere, if tenure had been invented. His stack of reprints included measuring the distances of the Moon and Sun.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/note-to-academics-aristarchus-track-record-of-astronomical-research/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/seth-shostak-2047_academics_note-to-academics-aristarchus-track-reco_1077552.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/seth-shostak-2047_academics_note-to-academics-aristarchus-track-reco_1077552.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/seth-shostak-2047_academics_note-to-academics-aristarchus-track-reco_1077552.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Note to academics: Aristarchus' track record of astronomical research would probably have guaranteed him…” — Seth Shostak", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Admittedly, it would take industrial-grade chutzpah and a massive dose of malevolence for anyone to bulldoze the spot where Neil Armstrong stepped off the Eagle lander. 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The slow movement of continents and ocean floors recycles carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans back into the atmosphere. Without this slow speed carbon cycle, Earth's temperatures would cool dozens of degrees below your comfort zone.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-destruction-the-slow-movement-of/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3da/seth-shostak-2047_atmosphere_plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-des_189683.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3da/seth-shostak-2047_atmosphere_plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-des_189683.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3da/seth-shostak-2047_atmosphere_plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-des_189683.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. 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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": 14, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "'Battleship' is not a film that Francois Truffaut would have made. Nor would any of those other namby-pamby European directors. Nope, this picture eschews that Continental obsession with small stories, set in quaint towns filled with pockmarked folk doing their banal things.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/battleship-is-not-a-film-that-francois-truffaut-would-have-made-nor/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/seth-shostak-2047_any_battleship-is-not-a-film-that-francois-t_2614649.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/seth-shostak-2047_any_battleship-is-not-a-film-that-francois-t_2614649.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/seth-shostak-2047_any_battleship-is-not-a-film-that-francois-t_2614649.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“'Battleship' is not a film that Francois Truffaut would have made. 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For creatures dependent on the oceans' ebb and flow, life could go on.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/even-if-the-moon-didn-t-exist-even-if-it-had-been-vaporized-billions/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/seth-shostak-2047_been_even-if-the-moon-didn-t-exist-even-if-it_1595260.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/seth-shostak-2047_been_even-if-the-moon-didn-t-exist-even-if-it_1595260.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/seth-shostak-2047_been_even-if-the-moon-didn-t-exist-even-if-it_1595260.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Even if the Moon didn't exist - even if it had been vaporized billions of years ago by cantankerous Klingons…” — Seth Shostak", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 17, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The planets and moons of our solar system are blatantly visible because they reflect sunlight. Without the nearby Sun, these planets would be cryptic and dark on the sky.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-planets-and-moons-of-our-solar-system-are-blatantly-visible/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/seth-shostak-2047_because_the-planets-and-moons-of-our-solar-syste_2245455.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/seth-shostak-2047_because_the-planets-and-moons-of-our-solar-syste_2245455.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/seth-shostak-2047_because_the-planets-and-moons-of-our-solar-syste_2245455.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The planets and moons of our solar system are blatantly visible because they reflect sunlight. Without the…” — Seth Shostak", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 18, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The space elevator's not just another competitive technology, promoted by people who simply like the idea of diminishing the luster of the thrusters. It would open wide the doors to space.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-space-elevator-s-not-just-another-competitive-technology-promoted/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/seth-shostak-2047_another_the-space-elevator-s-not-just-another-co_2280860.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/seth-shostak-2047_another_the-space-elevator-s-not-just-another-co_2280860.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/seth-shostak-2047_another_the-space-elevator-s-not-just-another-co_2280860.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The space elevator's not just another competitive technology, promoted by people who simply like the idea of…” — Seth Shostak", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 19, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Diminutive worlds are more likely to be rocky, and lapped by oceans and atmospheres. In the vernacular of 'Star Trek,' these would be M-class planets: life-friendly oases where biology could begin and bumpy-faced Klingons might exist.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/diminutive-worlds-are-more-likely-to-be-rocky-and-lapped-by-oceans/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/seth-shostak-2047_begin_diminutive-worlds-are-more-likely-to-be_835937.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/seth-shostak-2047_begin_diminutive-worlds-are-more-likely-to-be_835937.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/seth-shostak-2047_begin_diminutive-worlds-are-more-likely-to-be_835937.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Diminutive worlds are more likely to be rocky, and lapped by oceans and atmospheres. 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Not only are we not special, we could be infinitely ordinary.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-next-time-you-check-your-moves-in-the-mirror-and-reflect-on-how/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/seth-shostak-2047_another_the-next-time-you-check-your-moves-in-th_1336326.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/seth-shostak-2047_another_the-next-time-you-check-your-moves-in-th_1336326.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/seth-shostak-2047_another_the-next-time-you-check-your-moves-in-th_1336326.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The next time you check your moves in the mirror and reflect on how special you are, consider that somewhere…” — Seth Shostak", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 21, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In days gone by, scientists would speak solemnly about our solar system's 'habitable zone' - a theoretical region extending from Venus to Mars, but perhaps not encompassing either, where a planet would be the right temperature to have liquid water on its surface.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-days-gone-by-scientists-would-speak-solemnly-about-our-solar/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/seth-shostak-2047_about_in-days-gone-by-scientists-would-speak-s_1960851.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/seth-shostak-2047_about_in-days-gone-by-scientists-would-speak-s_1960851.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/seth-shostak-2047_about_in-days-gone-by-scientists-would-speak-s_1960851.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In days gone by, scientists would speak solemnly about our solar system's 'habitable zone' - a theoretical…” — Seth Shostak", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 22, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hollywood usually guesses that extraterrestrials would only be interested in one of three things: (1) They want to breed with us, because their own reproductive machinery is on the blink; (2) They want Earth's resources; or (3) They want the Earth. All of it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Shostak" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/hollywood-usually-guesses-that-extraterrestrials-would-only-be/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68a/seth-shostak-2047_because_hollywood-usually-guesses-that-extraterr_1748859.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68a/seth-shostak-2047_because_hollywood-usually-guesses-that-extraterr_1748859.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68a/seth-shostak-2047_because_hollywood-usually-guesses-that-extraterr_1748859.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Hollywood usually guesses that extraterrestrials would only be interested in one of three things: (1) They…” — Seth Shostak", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 23, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Explorers tend to be the aggressive types - why else would they risk scurvy, mutiny and other bad things to go out there? 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