|
The White House said Monday that there is no evidence of aliens making their presence known on Earth, but it has not given up on the search for extraterrestrial life. A petition submitted through the White House's "We the People" project -- which lets anyone submit a petition requesting government action -- asked for a formal acknowledgment of "an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race." Unfortunately for those who want to believe, the White House was unable to do so. "The US government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race," said Phil Larson, who works on policy and communications for the White House's Office of Science & Technology Policy, in response to the petition Monday. [FOX]
"In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the public's eye," Larson continued. He highlighted several projects aimed at investigating the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including the Kepler telescope, which searches for Earth-like planets, and Curiosity, a rover to be launched soon that will study the surface of Mars searching for the chemical building blocks of life, like carbon. While scientists and mathematicians have concluded that there is likely another planet in the universe that is home to life, Larson said many of them have noted "that the odds of us making contact with any of them -- especially any intelligent ones -- are extremely small, given the distances involved. Last week, a "We the People" petition calling for the legalization and regulation of marijuana -- which drew nearly 75,000 signatures -- was rebuffed by Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, who said the Obama administration does not support legalization, citing research that links marijuana to addiction, respiratory disease and cognitive impairment. |
