Stephen Hawking’s ominous cautions about contact with extraterrestrial life have come back into focus in light of recent ‘intelligence trap’ studies and concerns about interstellar objects raised by respected Harvard astronomers.
Renowned British cosmologist and former Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, Stephen Hawking, is celebrated as one of the most brilliant minds in history.
Before his passing in 2018, Hawking was a vocal critic of the idea of reaching out to extraterrestrial beings. He issued a stark warning about the potential dangers of alien life.
Hawking’s views have resurfaced as an international team of researchers explores the concept of an ‘intelligence trap.’
This theory warns that if humanity successfully contacts a UFO, it could attract the attention of a hostile alien species that might threaten our existence, according to the Daily Mail.
This study coincides with claims from Harvard University researchers who suggest that a large comet known as 31/ATLAS might actually be an alien probe.
Professor Avi Loeb and his colleagues argue that the object shows signs of artificial origin, including its unusual trajectory that will bring it close to Venus, Mars, and Jupiter.
Hawking first issued a caution regarding extraterrestrial life in 2004.
“The extraterrestrials would probably be far in advance of us,” Hawking warned.
“The history of advanced races meeting more primitive people on this planet is not very happy, and they were the same species. I think we should keep our heads low.”
He echoed a similar sentiment during a 2010 episode of Into the Universe.
In the docuseries, he remarked: “If aliens ever visit us, the outcome might be similar to when Columbus landed in America, which didn’t turn out well for the Native Americans.”
Despite discouraging active attempts to send messages into space to alert extraterrestrial beings of our presence, Hawking was an enthusiastic supporter of more passive efforts to search for intelligent life.
He backed initiatives like Breakthrough Listen, a project aimed at finding evidence of alien civilizations.
“We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn’t want to meet,” he cautioned.
Comet 31/ATLAS is anticipated to pass within 223 million miles of Earth later this year.
If this object is indeed of alien origin, researchers propose ‘two possibilities.’
“First, that its intentions are entirely benign, and second, they are malign,” they stated.
Of course, the object may simply be a comet. However, some conspiracy theorists speculate it could be of extraterrestrial origin, particularly in light of Baba Vanga’s alleged prediction.
The Bulgarian mystic, who passed away in 1996, is said to have left behind a series of prophecies, one of which predicts that aliens will make contact with Earth during a ‘major sporting event.’
Several prominent sports events are scheduled for later this year, including F1 races, the Women’s Rugby World Cup, and the WTA/ATP finals in Riyadh and Turin.
There is ample opportunity for potential alien contact, but as Hawking advised, such contact may not be beneficial for humanity.