Geologists searching for the volcano at Yellowstone National Park didn’t understand why they couldn’t find it. That was, until they realised the volcano wasn’t in the park; rather the park was in the volcano. And so it is with us down on the ground. Even with all our tech it’s hard to get a proper overview. We still tend to think of the horizon as, well, horizontal. One of the glorious things that the Apollo 8 Earthrise photo did was to show…
If we were to accept for a moment that other intelligent life forms exist in the universe, we might also have to concede that the ongoing shenanigans on Earth may have attracted some attention. If they are smart enough to be able to travel this far, our extra-terrestrial brethren will also be aware of the foolhardiness of landing on this particular planet. Out there beyond the Solar System, perhaps a visit to see the Earthlings is a rite of passage,…