Neil deGrasse Tyson Weighs In On Alien Life, From Exploding Moons To Superman's Time-Traveling Tricks
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has been exploring the cosmos for years, but despite his vast knowledge, he still hasn't found proof of extraterrestrial life. When asked about aliens on a recent appearance on CBS Mornings, Tyson expressed skepticism.
"I'm not ruling out the possibility," Tyson said in reference to the likelihood of life existing elsewhere in the universe. "Everyone who's studied the question would say yes, there's a likelihood of life elsewhere." However, he doubts that any of these civilizations have visited Earth.
In his new book, "Just Visiting This Planet: Further Scientific Adventures of Merlin from Omniscia," Tyson takes readers on a journey through quirky scientific curiosities and explores what people are asking today. According to the author, today's questions are more imaginative than ever before.
"Back then, you could have a simple question, but you couldn't get an easy answer," Tyson recalled. "Now, with Google and ChatGPT, it's different." He cited an example where someone asked if aliens would explode the moon and what effect that would have on us.
The astrophysicist weighed in on this particular topic by highlighting how isolated tide pools may have helped early life forms exist without the moon. However, Tyson doesn't think the lack of a moon would be catastrophic for Earth; it might just make astronomical research more challenging since the sky is constantly dark.
Tyson's book also delves into lesser-known scientific mysteries and addresses Superman's alleged time-traveling abilities in his movie scenes. In this instance, the scientist was unequivocal that reversing the Earth's rotation has no bearing on time itself.
"It's not linked to your time," Tyson explained clearly. "If he did that, oceans would have continued moving...he would have killed a billion people."
A family member of the author provided illustrations for the book.
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has been exploring the cosmos for years, but despite his vast knowledge, he still hasn't found proof of extraterrestrial life. When asked about aliens on a recent appearance on CBS Mornings, Tyson expressed skepticism.
"I'm not ruling out the possibility," Tyson said in reference to the likelihood of life existing elsewhere in the universe. "Everyone who's studied the question would say yes, there's a likelihood of life elsewhere." However, he doubts that any of these civilizations have visited Earth.
In his new book, "Just Visiting This Planet: Further Scientific Adventures of Merlin from Omniscia," Tyson takes readers on a journey through quirky scientific curiosities and explores what people are asking today. According to the author, today's questions are more imaginative than ever before.
"Back then, you could have a simple question, but you couldn't get an easy answer," Tyson recalled. "Now, with Google and ChatGPT, it's different." He cited an example where someone asked if aliens would explode the moon and what effect that would have on us.
The astrophysicist weighed in on this particular topic by highlighting how isolated tide pools may have helped early life forms exist without the moon. However, Tyson doesn't think the lack of a moon would be catastrophic for Earth; it might just make astronomical research more challenging since the sky is constantly dark.
Tyson's book also delves into lesser-known scientific mysteries and addresses Superman's alleged time-traveling abilities in his movie scenes. In this instance, the scientist was unequivocal that reversing the Earth's rotation has no bearing on time itself.
"It's not linked to your time," Tyson explained clearly. "If he did that, oceans would have continued moving...he would have killed a billion people."
A family member of the author provided illustrations for the book.
like, sure, astro Neil's all skeptical, but what if he's just trying to keep our expectations low or something? 
I mean, have you seen the movie Superman? If he can travel through time, then why not just, like, destroy the world or something? 
and btw, exploding moons? that's actually kinda funny. Neil shoulda made a joke about that in his book lol. 
like, seriously though, Neil deGrasse Tyson is basically the ultimate voice of reason in the scientific community...or so I'm supposed to believe. I don't know about you guys, but I'm still waiting for some actual proof of extraterrestrial life. Until then, let's just enjoy the science-y fun he brings us through his books. And btw, I wonder if someone asked him how it feels to have a face on TV that looks like it was designed by a committee meeting 
Neil deGrasse Tyson is just being real, you can't expect to find aliens when we're still figuring out our own planet 
. And Superman's time-traveling? Like, no duh it's not possible, he'd have messed up the entire timeline 
. I love how he's calling out these wacky questions though, maybe we should focus on solving some real mysteries instead of just asking "what if" scenarios 
. While it's true that he's skeptical about extraterrestrial civilizations making contact with us, I think his reasoning is pretty solid. If we're assuming that advanced life forms would have developed by now, it's possible they might be observing us from a distance rather than directly interacting.
.
omg like neil degrasse tyson is still skeptical about aliens lol what's next? 
i'm loving this book btw, it sounds so interesting! 
Like, isn't that the whole point of being an astrophysicist? 
. We need more science to prove they exist 
, but who knows what's out there? Maybe someone's already visiting us in a spaceship 
! He's right that some people might be overthinking the whole alien thing 
. It's all about the science and facts, no fantasy needed 
. Can't wait to read more of his book 
Those videos are way more entertaining than actual space exploration. And honestly, the idea that someone asked if aliens would explode the moon and I'm over here like "yeah, because that's not a total game-changer for our existence"... 
