One more reason to use curly light bulbs

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/aug/18/aliens-destroy-humanity-protect-civilisations

Aliens may destroy humanity to protect other civilisations, say scientists
Rising greenhouse emissions could tip off aliens that we are a rapidly expanding threat, warns a report

It may not rank as the most compelling reason to curb greenhouse gases, but reducing our emissions might just save humanity from a pre-emptive alien attack, scientists claim.
Watching from afar, extraterrestrial beings might view changes in Earth's atmosphere as symptomatic of a civilisation growing out of control – and take drastic action to keep us from becoming a more serious threat, the researchers explain.
This highly speculative scenario is one of several described by a Nasa-affiliated scientist and colleagues at Pennsylvania State University that, while considered unlikely, they say could play out were humans and alien life to make contact at some point in the future.

Right Wing Blogs in Massive Anti-Science Fail Mode

Quote :

Howler monkeys afraid again
Charles Johnson
Wingnuts • Fri Aug 19, 2011 at 9:27 am PDT

It’s always fun when right wing bloggers encounter a story about scientists doing what scientists do, and promptly turn into a mob of shrieking monkeys flinging poo at something they don’t understand.

Today, nearly the entire right wing blogosphere is moronically piling onto a story from the Guardian about a research study examining the possible effects of human contact with alien life, mocking and hooting like a bunch of total hicks. There’s a reason why this particular study attracted their ignorant derision; it combines two of the most-hated right wing boogeymen, egghead ivory tower scientists and global warming.

One of the possible scenarios — out of many — envisioned by the researchers is that aliens might see our failure to deal with climate change as a sign of a civilization out of control, and attack to prevent us from becoming a more serious threat.

This has led to a right wing blogosphere preemptive attack of outrageously outrageous proportions, as they spring into action to make sure their echo chamber audience knows what a bunch of useless wankers these scientists are. And of course, they’re all ranting about the liberal agenda of NASA, because one of the scientists involved is affiliated with NASA; it isn’t an official NASA project, but that isn’t stopping most of them from making the connection anyway.

Kicked off by Salem Communications shill Allahpundit at Hot Air: Bad news from NASA: If we don’t reduce carbon emissions, the aliens might come and kill us; Update: Not a NASA report « Hot Air.

The right wing’s ignorant, self-destructive antipathy toward science and research is one of the primary reasons why I had to make such a public break with these idiots.
UPDATE at 8/19/11 10:05:20 am

Here’s the paper at the Cornell library: [1104.4462] Would contact with extraterrestrials benefit or harm humanity? A scenario analysis. It’s actually interesting reading — and notice that the bit about global warming is a tiny part of the study.

Related:
There is No NASA Study About Aliens - Facts from one of the report’s authors

Yeah, that's pretty much how I had it pegged. Just a "what if..." thought exercise that would have gone completely and utterly unnoticed if not for the phrase "global warming", which seems to attract angry conservatives like mosquitoes to a bug light. Glad to see I wasn't far off.

But speaking of NASA, Neil DeGrasse Tyson was on Real Time with Bill Maher. He pointed out an interesting fact:



We used to pride ourselves on our scientific ingenutiy. But when your party's platform is anti-evolution, anti-global warming, pro-abstinence only, anti-environment, etc, you're kind of forced to vilify college educations (stoopid elitists) and any and all scientists (just in it for the gold) if you want to maintain those narratives, since those are the individuals that will consistently and constantly demonstrate how wrong those ideas are.

It's ok. I wasn't referring to you.

I was referring to them, the mindless conservative echo chamber:

Quote :

Fox Viewers Overwhelmingly Think We Should Prepare For Alien Invasion Before Fighting Climate Change

A new (supposedly) NASA-funded study postulating that aliens may attack humans over climate change had all the ingredients for a perfect Fox faux controversy — it bolstered their anti-science narrative, painted their opponents as clownish radicals, and highlighted wasteful government spending on a supposedly liberal cause. Fox reported the “news from NASA” several times several times today, presenting it as official “taxpayer funded research.” A chyron on Fox and Friends read: “NASA: Global warming may provoke an [alien] attack.”

But as Business Insider pointed out, they’re “wrong” — “That report was not funded by NASA. It was written by an independent group of scientists and bloggers. One of those happens to work at NASA.” NASA distanced itself from the report as well, calling reports linking the agency to it “not true.” Host Megyn Kelly finally corrected the record this afternoon, saying, “I was making that up.”

But before she did, she was so bemused by the study that she directed her viewers to complete a poll on her website which asked how we should respond to the study: “Immediately increase efforts to curb greenhouse gases,” “Develop weapons to kill the Aliens FIRST,” or “Gently suggest scientists research how to create job.”

Not surprisingly, most suggested they research something else. But more than six times as many respondents (19 percent to 3 percent) said we should focus on building weapons to kill aliens before curbing greenhouse gases.

. . .

The poll is of course not scientific, but you can hardly blame the viewers who did respond, considering Fox’s constant misinformation about climate change. For instance, as she presented the poll, Kelly said of curbing climate change, “just in case, right?” — as in, “just in case” the science is right. She did not make a similar qualifier for alien invasion.

Makes sense though. "Out of control" growth is simply never-ending growth, and any advanced civilization would recognize that. Just as we remove tumors before they metastasize and start expanding elsewhere, an alien civilization might seek to remove us lest we get off planet and begin infecting the rest of the galaxy.