UPDATE: co-author admits it is a “horrible mistake”, see below – Anthony
From the you’ve got to be effing kidding me department.
First, I apologize to my readers for the headline. Read on and I think you’ll see it is justified. The headline is paraphrased from the article and the paper to give you the flavor. I have reproduced the passage used by the Guardian and provided a link to the full paper below.
First, the Guardian story: (h/t to reader “a jones”)
Now the paper, peer reviewed and published in Acta Astronautica titled:
Would Contact with Extraterrestrials Benefit or Harm Humanity? A Scenario Analysis
Seth D. Baum,1 Jacob D. Haqq-Misra,2 & Shawn D. Domagal-Goldman3
1. Department of Geography, Pennsylvania State University.
2. Department of Meteorology, Pennsylvania State University
3. NASA Planetary Science Division
Acta Astronautica, 2011, 68(11-12): 2114-2129
Here’s the relevant passage:
A preemptive strike [from extraterrestrials] would be particularly likely in the early phases of our expansion because a civilization may become increasingly difficult to destroy as it continues to expand. Humanity may just now be entering the period in which its rapid civilizational expansion could be detected by an ETI because our expansion is changing the composition of Earth’s atmosphere (e.g. via greenhouse gas emissions), which therefore changes the spectral signature of Earth. While it is difficult to estimate the likelihood of this scenario, it should at a minimum give us pause as we evaluate our expansive tendencies.
Words fail me. Truly this is science fiction, and not the good kind. I have a feature called “Climate Craziness of the Week”, this may be the all time winner.
Read the entire paper here (PDF)
================================================================
UPDATE: Former Economist sci/tech reporter Oliver Morton chips in with this in comments, it seems a “horrible mistake” was made by the co-author. Still no word on how this passes peer review.
http://paleblueblog.org/post/9110304050/some-important-points-of-clarification
So here’s the thing. This isn’t a “NASA report.” It’s not work funded by NASA, nor is it work supported by NASA in other ways. It was just a fun paper written by a few friends, one of whom happens to have a NASA affiliation.
…
But I do admit to making a horrible mistake. It was an honest one, and a naive one… but it was a mistake nonetheless. I should not have listed my affiliation as “NASA Headquarters.” I did so because that is my current academic affiliation. But when I did so I did not realize the full implications that has. I’m deeply sorry for that, but it was a mistake born our of carelessness and inexperience and nothing more. I will do what I can to rectify this, including distributing this post to the Guardian, Drudge, and NASA Watch. Please help me spread this post to the other places you may see the article inaccurately attributed to NASA.
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What is it with economists and now climate scientists that they have extraterrestrial aliens on the brain?
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/08/15/krugman-you-know-what-this-economy-needs-a-space-alien-invasion/
Actually it is science fiction – they nicked the ‘we must clean up our act’ idea from David Brin.
I don’t think they’ll even bother with us: click
But if they do come, I’m sure they’ll be friendly.
It must be wishful thinking. According to Paul Krugman of the New York Times, an alien invasion is just what we need to stimulate the economy and get Obama re-elected.
But why would advanced aliens bother to wipe us out when Global Warming is going to do it for them? Unless they don’t believe in Gore’s doomsday scenario, but then why would they consider us a threat? It doesn’t quite add up.
The peer review committee:
http://www.posters.ws/images/847530/three_stooges.jpg
Couldn’t we just have the Mayor of Philadelphia unleash his flash mobs of pants-dragging, crack-displaying, tattoo-artsy flim flammers on these aliens? That’d repel them especially if these invaders stop by on a hot summer’s day!
This reeks of desperation. On all parts.
Let’s see here – NASA and Penn State (that is, us) paid for this dreck, and the Grauniad gets to publish it so that everyone can laugh at America.
At least this takes my mind off of the bad news on the economy.
/sarc
Message to Galaxy Command from Earth Recon1: Cancel the invasion. They’ll send their scientists. We couldn’t cope.
This frankly only deserves one response, especially after seeing this so soon after Krugman asserting that an alien invasion would save the economy:
Hahah. Hahahahahahahahahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!!!
* takes breath *
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Ha Ha Ha! All your C02 are belong to us!!!
Oh wow! Peer reviewed too. Not even grey literature, this is a must include for Dr Pachauri’s AR5.
Is that really worse than what the other alarmists are telling us?
“Make this stuff up, you cannot.” – Yoda
“I imagine they might exist in massive ships … having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach.” ~ Stephen Hawking from “into the Universe with Stephen Hawking”.
So, in other words, said aliens would not be scolding us for doing what they already have done. They would just go ahead and wipe us all out anyway…
I tend to agree with the acclaimed British physicist, as opposed to a Guardian article quoting Penn State and NASA “experts”.
Twilight Zone musical theme or Doctor Who?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPJ6GMXM3E&feature=fvst
Climate craziness of the freakin’ millennium. Words fail to describe the breadth and depth of paranoia here.
And yeah, that colossal change in the composition of the atmosphere would be such a red flag! I’m sure. /sarc
And for another perspective on this discussion, try “The Everything Else Disaster Preparedness Plan” at http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/EEDPP.pdf
If the government has enough money to fund this, the government has too much money.
Who’s up for a tax hike now?
I see this more as a reflection of their view of the intellectual capacity of the alarmist camp. As for aliens destroying modern civilization……that’s well under way. Take a glance at the demonic rioters savaging the our cities, then listen to their far left apologists.
Efffing kidding me is right…
What a preposterous pile of bullsh!t. I have to say I nearly fell out of my chair when I read this…
These so called scientists that produced this rubbish should have their degrees run through a cross cutting shredder doused in gasoline and dropped in an incinerator just prior to having the ashes dispersed in the Arabian sea with Bin Laden’s foul remains. After that ceremony is complete they should publicly apologize for their colossal failures as scientists and then they should demand a refund for said so-called educations.
/rant off
This is yet another piece of validation that the liberal world view is based on self-loathing. So an alien species would see us as bad and destroy us so that we don’t “damage” the rest of the neighborhood. The more years that go by the more I honestly believe that the liberal world view is based on personality disorder.
It would be very ironic if they were to view us as A: food or B: a rather pristine planet rich in resources that is infested with a rather poorly developed life form that could be relatively easily wiped out and the planet exploited for the resources while the life forms are farmed for food/fertilizer.
Maybe the aliens will be the bad guys. The liberal logic always twists “us” (be it our country, our culture, our race, whatever) to be “bad” and always reveres the alien culture or race or country. It is just plain nuts.
IgNobel Prize candidate, clearly. 🙂
I wonder how this would play with the History Channel’s Ancient Aliens series?