Our Cosmic Neighborhood Archives

Could UAP Have Kinship to Our AI Systems?

Avi Loeb·June 22, 2022

If some UAPs represent extraterrestrial AI systems, perhaps their appearance in recent government data was triggered by us being on the verge of developing sentient AI systems.

NASA’s UAP Study: Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

Avi Loeb·June 16, 2022

NASA's announcement that it will study unidentified aerial phenomena is a win-win for science, as it follows similar efforts by the DOD and civilian groups like the Galileo Project.

The Beginner’s Mind of Machine Learning

Avi Loeb·June 13, 2022

As advances in machine learning continue, we can expect to see fewer of the "beginner's mistakes" of its early experimental phase.

“Technological Selection” in the Race to Interstellar Space

Avi Loeb·June 9, 2022

We have become ever more technologically selective, a preparatory work to becoming adept in space, where technological selection rules.

With Age Comes Wisdom: Life’s Astronomical Puzzles

Avi Loeb·June 6, 2022

While humans have gleaned a tremendous amount of knowledge about the universe, there are several astronomical puzzles about our lives that remain mysterious.

Alleviating the Tyranny of the Rocket Equation Through Intergalactic Travel at Low Accelerations

Avi Loeb·May 31, 2022

Could there be new physics that suppresses the dreadful exponent of the rocket equation?

The Galactic Trading Card of Human Civilization

Avi Loeb·May 27, 2022

A curious civilization seeking to increase its scientific knowledge by exploring the unknown will win the Galactic contest of trading cards.

Interstellar Kites: Galactic Surfing on Light?

Avi Loeb·May 26, 2022

Here’s hoping that they are some interstellar environmentalists out there who have already started to clean our cosmic neighborhood.

Reflections On the First Congressional Hearing on Unidentified Aerial Objects in Half a Century

In the aftermath of Congressional hearing on UAP, it is clear governments and scientists must work together to determine their nature.

Avi Loeb·May 19, 2022

In the aftermath of Congressional hearing on UAP, it is clear governments and scientists must work together to determine their nature.

Fishing in Extraterrestrial Seas

Avi Loeb·May 10, 2022

The best way for humanity to garner respect from any potential extraterrestrial neighbors is to seek new knowledge through evidence.

How Can we Guide Our Life?

Avi Loeb·May 4, 2022

In the future, could an interactive artificial intelligence (AI) system answer questions for us, and carry the flame of life and consciousness?

Lunar Ranging: Detecting the Memory Effect from a Black Hole Merger at the Galactic Center

Avi Loeb·May 3, 2022

Permanent displacement between Earth and the Moon is detectable by the Lunar Ranging laser system, which monitors the Earth-Moon separation by measuring steadily the roundtrip travel time of light to the Moon.

The First Interstellar Meteor Had a Larger Material Strength Than Iron Meteorites

Avi Loeb·April 27, 2022

The first interstellar object to make its way to Earth may have had properties that exceeded even those of iron meteorites.

Scooping Interstellar Fragments from the Ocean Floor

Avi Loeb·April 20, 2022

On April 6, 2022, the U.S. Space Command tweeted a formal letter confirming a meteor as originating from outside the solar system.

Dark Matter: The Scientific Method and Understanding the Unseen

Avi Loeb·April 15, 2022

The popular cosmological paradigm supposes the existence of unseen matter known as “Cold Dark Matter”.

What is Dark Matter?

Avi Loeb·April 1, 2022

With questions like those surrounding dark matter, we should resist the temptation of explaining away anomalies based on past knowledge.

The Silence of Snow

Avi Loeb·March 28, 2022

Avi Loeb recaps several points of discussion from a recent meeting with journalist Leslie Kean, where they discussed the Galileo Project and the search for extraterrestrial life.

The Substitute for the Drake Equation in Extraterrestrial Space Archaeology

Avi Loeb·March 23, 2022

The likelihood of us finding extraterrestrial technological objects depends on our willingness to look for them, and not just on whether the extraterrestrials had sent them.

General Relativity Instead of Modified Gravity

Avi Loeb·March 18, 2022

The proper interpretation of recently acquired satellite data relies on Einstein's theory of general relativity, which still presents the best description of gravity as we know it.

Intelligent Communication: Understanding and Adaptation

There could be more than just distance that separates us from other intelligent life in the universe.

Avi Loeb·March 16, 2022

There could be more than merely distance that separates us from other intelligent life that exists in our universe.

Communicating with Extraterrestrials

In this inaugural installment of "Our Cosmic Neighborhood", Avi Loeb gives us perspectives on the challenges presented by any future attempts at communication with extraterrestrials.

Avi Loeb·March 10, 2022

In this inaugural installment of "Our Cosmic Neighborhood", Avi Loeb gives us perspectives on the challenges presented by any future attempts at communicating with extraterrestrials.

Our Cosmic Neighborhood