That's the premise of a new book by a top astronomer, who argues that the simplest and best explanation for the highly unusual characteristics of an interstellar object that sped through our solar system in 2017 is that it was alien technology.Sound kooky? Avi Loeb says the evidence holds otherwise, and is convinced his peers in the scientific community are so consumed by groupthink they're unwilling to wield Occam's razor.
Loeb's stellar credentials - he was the longest-serving chair of astronomy at Harvard, has published hundreds of pioneering papers, and has collaborated with greats like the late Stephen Hawking - make him difficult to dismiss outright.
"Thinking that we are unique and special and privileged is arrogant," he told AFP in a video call.
Yeah, sure, but the flat earth sits at the center of the universe, remember?
"The correct approach is to be modest and say: 'We're nothing special, there are lots of other cultures out there, and we just need to find them.'"
Loeb, 58, lays out the argument for the alien origins of the object named 'Oumuamua - "scout" in Hawaiian - in "Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth."
The facts are as follows.
So go read the facts.