Eamonn KerinsNov 12, 2022

Great to have so much interaction from the thread I did yesterday about #GameTheory strategies for the detection of #ExtraTerrestialIntelligence.

https://astrodon.social/@eamonn_kerins/109327400145858571

Maybe every Friday should be #AlienFriday!

Thought it'd be useful to get to know the views of people tuning into these posts. So, below, a thread of 7 polls of your views on #SETI.

They'll stay up for a week. If you'd like them to have a statistical rigor that #ProfJohnCurtis would be proud of then please #boost to others.

Eamonn Kerins (@[email protected])

So, it's time to talk about #aliens. Is the search for #intelligent #life just an impossible search for a microscopic pin within a mountain-sized haystack? Or is there a way to try and be smart about how we search? A thread about some work I've been involved with that addresses this question... (1/n) If you enjoy the thread, and you think others may do too, then please #boost it!

Astrodon - The Astro Community
Show threadEamonn KerinsNov 12, 2022
Do you think there is, or ever has been, life on other worlds that we would recognise as intelligent?
Yes, surely there has to be
81.9%
No way
2.4%
I'm on the fence
14.2%
Really not bothered
1.6%
Poll ended at .
Show threadEamonn KerinsNov 12, 2022
Is it worthwhile listening out for the possibility of signals transmitted by an alien civilisation?
Yes, we'll learn something
90.3%
No, it's a waste of time and/or money
6.3%
Don't really care
3.4%
Poll ended at .
Show threadEamonn KerinsNov 12, 2022
Do you think evidence for alien life of some kind will be discovered within the next 50 years?
Yes!
39.7%
I doubt it.
53.8%
No chance!
6.5%
Poll ended at .
Show threadEamonn KerinsNov 12, 2022
If scientists become sure that they have received a genuine signal from an intelligent extraterrestrial civilisation, how would you wish them to communicate this news?
Full public disclosure ASAP
52.9%
Prepare in advance how best to break the news
41.4%
Inform government agencies and let them handle it
4.8%
Keep it secret. There's enough bad news around.
1%
Poll ended at .
Show threadEamonn KerinsNov 12, 2022
Would you consider an announcement of contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial civilisation to be
Good news
46%
Bad news
6.3%
Neither. I'd reserve judgement
47.7%
Poll ended at .
Show threadEamonn KerinsNov 12, 2022
How do you feel about the idea of humans deliberately sending their own signals into space so that they could be discovered by another alien civilisation?
Great idea. Do it!
27.7%
Sure, why not
33%
I'm uneasy about the idea
31.7%
It's a huge mistake
7.6%
Poll ended at .
Show threadEamonn Kerins

Do you think governments and/or scientists know more about aliens than they're letting on to the public?

(this is the final question)

Yes
16%
No
58.2%
Not sure
16.4%
Don't care
9.4%
Poll ended at .
Nov 12, 2022 at 7:27pmWeb
Show threadEamonn KerinsNov 12, 2022

BTW I'm going to avoid making any further comment on this #alien themed thread. I'll let the #SETI polls build their own momentum. But it's great to see the lively debate and opinions on #FirstContact developing under the thread. Some great comments!

I'll have more to say next weekend.

Show threadEamonn KerinsNov 12, 2022

For any non-UK #mastodonians who may be unfamiliar with Professor Sir John Curtice (this time I've spelt his name correctly). He is a political scientist at the University of Strathclyde. He's become something of a cultural institution and is a regular face on TV screens here whenever elections come around.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Curtice

John Curtice - Wikipedia

Show threadGraham LoganNov 12, 2022
@eamonn_kerins Sir John Curtice, a knight of the realm for services to “any BBC political discussion at short notice”
Show threadAstro DadNov 12, 2022
@eamonn_kerins There was a really good Planetary Radio podcast on this recently.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iMy0XlQFRDIPIBsQrjqNY?si=oTYzccqxSli0I3EeITZTrw&utm_source=copy-link
Space Policy Edition: The Geopolitics of a Successful SETI Detection

Listen to this episode from Planetary Radio: Space Policy Edition on Spotify. How will nations react if (when?) humanity detects the presence of an alien intelligence or civilization? That’s the topic Planetary Society Chief Advocate Casey Dreier takes up with his guest, astrophysicist Jason Wright.

Spotify
Show threadJoseph K’s BrotherNov 12, 2022
@eamonn_kerins Is this you doing answer 2 from the first question? 😋