--- title: "Physicist Warns That Contacting Aliens Could End All Life on Earth" description: "Physicist Mark Buchanan argued we should be grateful for not having made contact with alien civilizations yet in a piece for The Washington Post." date: "2021-06-10" modified: "2021-06-10" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/physicist-aliens-end-life-earth" categories: - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "alien civilizations" - "aliens" - "the digest" - "ufos" --- # Physicist Warns That Contacting Aliens Could End All Life on Earth ![Physicist Mark Buchanan argued we should be grateful for not having made contact with alien civilizations yet in a piece for The Washington Post.]() *\Image: Image via Pixabay / Futurism\* ## Extreme Danger Despite the Pentagon's best efforts, we still have no idea what explains a series of Navy pilot encounters with UFOs that seemingly crossed the sky at hypersonic speeds and defied the laws of physics. And if the [latest rumors are to be believed](), an upcoming report by the government isn't going to give us any more answers than we already have. The theory that extraterrestrials could be behind the sighting — and not US adversaries such as China or Russia, as some former military officials [have suggested]() — has gained widespread recognition, but [probably isn't very likely](). And that might be a good thing, as physicist and former *Nature* editor Mark Buchanan wrote in a [new piece for *The Washington Post*](). "Chances are, though, that we should all be grateful that we don’t yet have any evidence of contact with alien civilizations," he argued. "Attempting to communicate with extraterrestrials, if they do exist, could be extremely dangerous for us." "We need to figure out whether it’s wise — or safe — and how to handle such attempts in an organized manner," he added. ## Just Wait Going forward, according to Buchanan's analysis, we need to be careful. "The search for aliens has reached a stage of technological sophistication and associated risk that it needs strict regulation at national and international level," he wrote. One single person could end up taking "actions affecting the future of the entire planet" with "access to powerful transmitting technology." That means the fate of humanity "shouldn’t be left to a handful of radio astronomers." Buchanan also argued that since our solar system is relatively young, other civilizations out there could be millions of years ahead of us. And when one technologically advanced society meets a less advanced one — well, history has shown what happens then. Given the possible risks of making first contact, it might just be "wiser to just wait," the physicist wrote, arguing that we need to collectively decide on how to approach this discussion and come up with "developing sensible regulation." "It should happen now. Or soon," he concluded. "Before it’s too late." **READ MORE:** [Contacting aliens could end all life on earth. Let’s stop trying.]() \[*The Washington Post*\] More on aliens: *[NASA Scientist: We Should Take UFOs as Seriously as Mars Research]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()