Have Aliens Visited Earth? | StarTalk 101 with Neil deGrasse Tyson

Is the government covering up aliens? What even is a UAP? We take a look back at Neil deGrasse Tyson breaking down claims of aliens, whether they’re here, and if they are anywhere with various guests including SETI Institute senior astronomer Seth Shostak, investigator Ben Radford, and astronomer Jill Tarter.

Is it aliens? We discuss what makes us think the aliens built the pyramids and other conspiracies. Why would the government want to cover up aliens? What would happen if they were really here? Learn about how much of the galaxy we have actually searched for life and how there’s so much more to discover. What would actually happen when we find aliens?

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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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00:00 - What is a UAP?
2:52 - A Scientist’s Perspective
6:07 - Can We Trust Human Senses?
12:35 - Why Would the Government Cover Aliens Up?
15:40 - Searching for Life

[StarTalk]

Do you think there might be alien life out there? If so, have they already contacted us?

[ImberNox]

I've been suffering from anxiety and depression lately, but watching StarTalk has helped me a lot to not feel alone, to keep my mind busy and to feel like I'm actually using my time for something fruitful, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Keep up the good work!

[brianmooney]

When my daughter was freaked out by the guy who testified to congress about aliens, I sent her a picture of Neil and said that I will worry when this guy gets worried. It actually helped her calm down.

[MrZedblade]

Whenever aliens show up camera technology goes backwards 60 years.

[PaulSinnema]

As a child I saw the Twilight Zone 'To serve man' episode. It made such a deep impression on me that I still remember it vividly.

[LethalMartialArtist]

I feel this video should of addressed the recent congress hearings where several high ranking personnel testified about alien existence. Would have been good to have your view on that.

A lot of what’s in the video has been posted before the recent hearings.

[matthewryan]

A number of years ago, I was leaving work on a winter evening, where it was nice and dark, and likely cloudy up above. My work is near enough to an airport that we're often almost directly under one of the common flight paths in and out of it. So as I was waiting to pull out of the driveway of my work, I see 4 lights in the sky, at a low altitude, slowly moving along. I've got the car windows up, so it's moving "silently". Despite *knowing*, based on the light colors, and the fact that it was on the flight path, that it was a plane coming in for a landing [it was also clear a few moments later once it was almost directly overhead when I got the best view and the sound caught up], my brain absolutely interpreted those lights as being 3 lights on the corners of a dark triangle, with a rotating light in the center of it, like any number of UFO sightings.

I hope there's more out there than we know about, but it's so easy for your senses to be fooled, even when you know better...

[f]

One of our favorite cartoons:
A couple is standing in their front yard, and the man points to the sky and says, "Look Marge, a UFO, hurry up and run in the house and find the crappiest camera we own."

[SandyMasquith]

“No, the government is not that high-functioning.” Best statement of truth I’ve heard in a long time. Thank you!

[iralawrence]

Personally I love the idea that they are supposed to travel interstellar but crash when they get

[molly]

My dad used to say that the human race has forgotten more than we'll ever learn again.

[solidust]

This is fine but I'm interested in Neil's reactions to the specifics of the UFO hearing. Those men testified (under oath) providing specific details of the existence of extraterrestrials.

[thomasdavies]

Love how this show builds scientific literacy. It’s blunt but disguised. Perfect!

[taylormanx]

"You don't find intelligent life... intelligent life finds you"... unwritten rule of the universe😮

[thedullohanvids]

That ocean analogy is great, because we have studied a good deal of the ocean and still don't know everything that is in the ocean. So even if we had studied far more of space then we have we couldn't rule out the possibility that their could still be life out there.

[hanchomike]

Neil has talked about all of these things many times. I thought this video was about him going over the congress meeting where David Grusch literally said we have recovered “non-human” crafts.

[jackmortimer]

I think it would be fascinating to have a conversation between Neil deGrasse Tyson and Dr. Steven Greer on this topic.

[johnsonrepp]

Mr. Tysons explanation is exactly why an alien spacecraft has to literally lane on the White House front lawn at 1pm on a Tuesday during a tour. Makes sense now.

[cameronward]

The reason for UAP instead of UFO, is that the stuff is not always flying. It could be floating or hovering or could just be some mist etc... Flying implies some sort of locomotion or force being applied.

[AryaMh]

Imagine there are also other conscious beings each thinking they are the only conscious ones, but not advanced enough to explore and find others.