From The Sunday Times
December 16, 2007
Tony Allen-Mills in New York
FOR decades it has been a staple of science fiction, somewhere out in the galaxy, a highly developed alien race picks up a radio signal from Earth, and decides to eat us for lunch.
In a world plagued by war, hunger and disease, a possible attack by little green men may not rank high among most nations concerns. Yet for a small group of scientists who are harnessing increasingly powerful technologies in a trans-galactic search for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, the prospect of catastrophe has stirred an angry debate.
Two senior scientists have resigned from an elite international study group in protest over a lack of public discussion about the possible consequences of attracting the attention of aliens by sending signals deep into space.
We'[re talking about initiating communication with other civilizations, but we know nothing of their goals, capabilities or intent,†warned John Billingham, a former Nasa scientist who has quit an extraterrestrial study group set up by the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).