Science Saturday: Should We Tell Aliens We're Here?

If you grew up on Star Trek or Star Wars, you probably have dreams of a universe full of both friends and foes. But what if aliens are so different that they see us like bugs? Maybe we shouldn't be broadcasting our presence in the universe. FACT OF THE DAY: Before he became a walking meme, Giorgio "Ancient Aliens" Tsoukalos made his living as a bodybuilding promoter. [Welcome To A Smarter Inbox]( Should We Be Calling Out To Aliens? [Is Reaching Out To Alien Life Really A Good Idea?]( - There's some debate on the topic, but most agree that we should be looking for aliens instead of waiting for them to show up. - Stephen Hawking says if E.T. calls, we shouldn't answer. - Cosmic optimist Carl Sagan thought if we broadcast our presence, we'd meet friendly, technologically advanced neighbors. - Either way, if we have to talk to aliens, we'll need to figure out how—maybe math won't be enough. [WHAT ARE SETI'S BEST IDEAS?]( Last Week On Curiosity - [NASA Has Found The First Legit Shooting Star]( - [This Self-Ventilating Workout Suit Uses Microbes To Keep You Cool]( - [Skylodge Adventure Suites Are Transparent Pods Dangling High Above Peru's Sacred Valley​]( - [12-Year-Old Rajgauri Pawar Has A Higher IQ Than Einstein​]( - [Google Is Teaching An AI To Create More AI]( Online security is more important than ever. With a lifetime VPN membership, you can hide your digital presence from any prying eyes. [VPN Unlimited]( keeps your actions private even when connecting to public WiFi, and blocks ad, malware, and tracking systems with a new DNS Firewall. Buy web security for life for only $49.99—it's usually ten times that price. [PROTECT YOURSELF]( The Answer Every Saturday we take on a question sent in by one of our readers. Write to us at [TheQuestion@Curiosity.com](mailto:thequestion@curiosity.com?subject=A%20Question%20For%20The%20Question) to have your question answered next week! What are some alternatives to the Big Bang Theory? -Kavana The Big Bang Theory is [based on three assumptions]( about the universe. 1) The laws of physics are universal and don't change with time and location in space. 2) The universe is homogeneous, or roughly the same in every direction (though not necessarily for all of time). 3) Humans do not observe the universe from a privileged location such as at its very center. If you apply Einstein's equations to those assumptions, you get the Big Bang. But what if one of those assumptions is wrong? A few other possibilities arise. - Steady State Universe: The Big Bang theory says there is a finite amount of matter and energy that has always existed, whether it was packed in at the beginning of time or spread out as it is now. The Steady State theory was an early rival with the Big Bang theory, and posited that matter and energy was constantly being created. We've found lots of evidence against this theory, though. - Oscillating Model: This one's kind of close to the Big Bang theory, but with one small tweak. Instead of there being a definite beginning and end to the universe, there's a constant cycle of Big Bangs and Big Crunches, going back and forth like a universe-sized accordion. - Eternal Inflation: In the Big Bang model, the universe "popped" into existence only once. In the Eternal Inflation model, that "pop" never stopped (we like to think of it as the Pringles universe). In this version, we would be living in a multiverse, not a universe, because this eternal popping would create an infinite number of universes, each with its own set of physical laws. In The Headlines - Today marks the satellite MAVEN's 1,000th day in orbit around Mars. Here's what it's found out in that time. [[Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics]( - German breeders have released the world's first open-source seeds whose descendents' open-source status will be legally protected. [[Science]( - Papr calls itself the "Tindr for preprints"—users swipe left, right, up, or down to rank abstracts on if they are exciting, boring, questionable, and probable. [[Science]( Got A Question For The Question? Write to us at TheQuestion@Curiosity.com if there's something you're dying to know, or anything you think we could be doing better (we'll also accept lavish compliments). If we like your question we'll let you know—and you just might get an answer next Saturday. Follow us and smarten up your social media. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Google+]( [Pinterest]( [undefined]( [Advertise on Curiosity]( Discover More Amazing Stories Every Day! Start following the subjects that interest you most. We do the work of writing, designing and curating can't-miss articles and videos in those subjects, so you can let your natural curiosity lead the way. [EXPLORE ALL SUBJECTS]( Not Curious Anymore? If you already know everything, you might as well [unsubscribe]( or [update your email preferences](. [Unsubscribe]( | [Update Preferences]( Beacon Solutions, Inc. 4809 Ravenswood Ave Chicago, IL 60640