The get-a-clue train is about to depart; better get your tickets. I noticed in a good number of posts people suggesting there are scientific data PROVING the existance of aliens. I will not bother delving into whether said data actually exist, but I would rather give some input regarding such kinds of statements in light of science. First, science is hypothesis driven. The first goal in an experiment is design a hypothesis. In this case, the hypothesis is that alien life exists. Second, experiments must be designed to test this hypothesis. The goal of such experiments is not to PROVE the hypothesis, but to DISPROVE the null hypothesis; in this case, the null hypothesis is that alien lifeforms DO NOT exist. Third, the experiment should be elegant enough in design to give a binary answer (i.e., yes or no). This could of course be accomplished with an observation-based experimental design (e.g., telescopes, soil samples, etc.) In summary, the results of such experiments will either serve to disprove the null hypothesis or not. However, if the experiment does not sufficiently disprove the null hypothesis, this does not automatically mean that the hypothesis was incorrect; it could simply mean that the experiment wasn't sufficiently designed to adequately test the hypotheses. ________________ In light of the above context, I would say that are no data sufficiently disproving the null hypothesis that aliens don't exist to support the hypothesis that aliens do exist. In other words, the verdict is still with the jury. -Bitsy ------------------ Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please. -Mark Twain
