Top 5 Myths About Aliens

Top 5 Myths About Aliens

Sure, the truth is out there, but it’s not in tabloid newspapers.
Welcome to WatchMojo’s Top 5 Myths. In today’s instalment we’re counting down the Top 5 Myths About Aliens.

When it comes to the possibility of extraterrestrial life, odds are, we’re not alone in the universe. But sadly, we still lack any concrete evidence proving the existence of life beyond our planet. In the absence of actual proof, countless conspiracy theories circulate, presented by true believers as fact.

We get that most people don’t actually put stock in such explanations, but nonetheless, we thought it might be fun to debunk some of the most popular alien myths around.

#5: Octopus DNA Is Not From This World

What if… aliens weren’t above us, but in our oceans? Well, this is essentially what a number of less than reputable sites began to circulate in 2016, leading some undiscerning readers to believe that our eight-tentacled alien overlords were already swimming among us. For example, Metro UK ran a story entitled “Octopuses ‘are aliens’, scientists decide after DNA study”. In discussing a research paper on octopus genetic analysis, one of the authors joked “It’s the first sequenced genome from something like an alien”. The operative word however… was “joked”. Nowhere in their research did they suggest that octopus actually were extraterrestrials.

#4: A Face On Mars is Proof of Martians

The film “Life” might give you reason to pray that we never discover living organisms on Mars, but according to some extraterrestrial fans, we already have. Or at least, proof that Martians once existed. Photographs from the surface of alien planets are always exciting from a scientific perspective. But sadly, when the Viking Orbiter sent back photos of the martian surface in 1970, some people chose to approach them with a cloud-gazing mentality, and picked out a mountain that looked like a face. Nowadays, the image circulates attached to claims like “it’s a martian temple”. For author Richard Hoagland, this grainy image was enough to claim that a martian civilization once existed. In reality… it’s a mountain and some shadows.

#3: They Designed the Great Pyramids

You know, the Ancient Egyptians really don’t get enough credit for their accomplishments. They built these awe-inspiring structures, true architectural marvels of their age and ours, and people just assume that aliens must have intervened. “Ancient Aliens”... we’re looking at you. The fact is… there are no big mysteries when it comes to the construction of the great pyramids anymore. We don’t need to look to the stars for explanations. Recent studies have shown how they cut the stone (using a wide variety well-documented tools) and how the blocks were moved (using sleds over wet sand). To be fair, they did rely on celestial intervention to a certain degree - their knowledge of astronomy allowed them to align the pyramids with cardinal points.

#2: Crop Circles Are Alien Communication

Crop circles come in two varieties: complex patterns that we interpret as mysterious language or equations, and plain old circles, which are seen as the site of an alien saucer landing. Historical accounts of crop circles, dating back to the 17th century, are actually an entirely different superstitious phenomenon, known as a “mowing devil”, in which a circle is cut in a field, rather than flattened. So what’s the real deal, if not UFOs? Honestly, all signs point to human hoaxes. Doug Bower and Dave Chorley took responsibility for kickstarting the trend in England, where crop circles were prevalent for many years, with over 200 to their credit. They are also thought to have inspired countless imitators.

#1: The Roswell Incident

Greetings from lovely Roswell, New Mexico, the mecca of UFO enthusiasts the world over. The year was 1947, and in age of war-driven scientific discovery, something mysterious crash landed near Corona, New Mexico, only to be subsequently dealt with by the Roswell Army Air Field. Although it initially raised some eyebrows, when the military presented the debris of a destroyed weather balloon to the press, the incident was forgotten. For some reason, nearly three decades later, UFO researchers became interested in the events again, and it has since become the greatest of alleged UFO cover-ups. Was the government hiding something? Yes... but not aliens. These weren’t weather balloons, but the experimental high-altitude balloons of Project Mogul, a top secret initiative to spy on the Soviets. Naughty, Naughty.