Avi Loeb: the Harvard Physicist Who Thinks Its Always Aliens

Post Reply New Topic

Gosh...he combines the worst traits of Vivak Ramistrani with the worst traits of George Santos.

Don't get me started please.

No, please, feel free.

There's a thread somewhere around here about "Spherules", started by one of our members who also seems to believe aliens are behind it.

Come to think of it, I have never seen the aforementioned member and Avi Loeb photographed together . . .

Hmm . . .

I wonder who that could be ?

Let his reputation speak for itself
Abraham (Avi) Loeb is the Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science at Harvard University and a bestselling author (in lists of the New York Times,Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, Die Zeit, Der Spiegel, L'Express and more). He received a PhD in Physics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel at age 24 (1980-1986), led the first international project supported by the Strategic Defense Initiative (1983-1988), and was subsequently a long-term member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton (1988-1993). Loeb wrote 8 books and over 800 papers on a wide range of topics, including black holes, the first stars, the search for extraterrestrial life and the future of the Universe. He had been the longest serving Chair of Harvard's Department of Astronomy (2011-2020), Founding Director of Harvard's Black Hole Initiative and Director of the Institute for Theory and Computation (2007-present) within the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics . He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the International Academy of Astronautics. Loeb is a former member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) at the White House, a former chair of the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies and a current member of the Advisory Board for "Einstein: Visualize the Impossible" of the Hebrew University. He also chairs the Advisory Committee for the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative (2016-present) and serves as the Science Theory Director for all Initiatives of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. In 2012, TIME magazine selected Loeb as one of the 25 most influential people in space.

https://pweb.cfa.harvard.edu/people/avi-loeb

In June 2023, Loeb announced the project had found interstellar material on the ocean floor that could be remnants of an extraterrestrial starship. The findings were the result of Loeb seeking the remnants of a fireball the US Department of Defense observed in 2014. These claims were criticized by other scientists as hasty, sensational, and part of a pattern of improper behavior. Peter Brown, a meteor physicist at the University of Western Ontario, argued the material can be explained as non-interstellar, and further said he was disturbed by Loeb's lack of engagement with relevant experts. Astrophysicist Steve Desch, at Arizona State University, commented "Loeb's claims are polluting good science -- conflating the good science we do with this ridiculous sensationalism and sucking all the oxygen out of the room", and said several of his colleagues are consequently refusing to engage with Loeb in the peer-review process. Monica Grady from the Open University argued that the evidence for Loeb's claims is "rather shaky" and pointed more plausibly to terrestrial pollution.

ONE scientist's claims presented without evidence have been dismissed by many other scientists, thus rendering the one scientist's claims as irrelevant, in consequential, and totally immaterial. Thus, I am in full agreement with Ms. Watson.

Right.

And his obvious mendacity in that panel discussion at seven minutes in, also speaks for itself.

How he bullies the other panelists and dances around that he has no evidence for his claims.

Rather than blindly copy/pasting responses attacking him from colleagues who (as he has said) are likely jealous of his achievements, why not evaluate yourselves what he is claiming (I am sure you are all capable of doing this if you want).

In 2017 he was one of many astronomers studying the detection of a peculiarly shaped object passing through our solar system. Astronomers described it as having “extreme dimensions” (long thin and flat like a pancake). Other astronomers agreed that the object was anomalous. It did not have a tail like a comet so was identified as an asteroid.

The problem was the object (dubbed ’Oumuamua – Hawaiian for “scout” or “first distant messenger” indicating it's entry from outside the solar system) was measured by NASA as accelerating while travelling past the sun. This presented a dilemma since asteroids can't do this.

The problem facing astronomers is what endogenous source of energy could accelerate the object? It did not have ice (like a comet) so the heat of the sun can't force gas to push the object. Because the object was flat it was likely the object absorbed heat from the sun but what was the mechanism? Loeb said among many options that one option is ’Oumuamua could be a solar sail from an interstellar craft, using sunlight to accelerate through space. In other words, it belonged to aliens. His offering this as a possible (not only) reason was immediately jumped upon as heresy.

Loeb is brave to be open minded, He is intellectually curious. So when an object was detected by NASA again as being interstellar landed of the coast of new Guinea in 2014, Loeb suggested an expedition to retrieve the remains of the object. Despite being funded, his colleagues again accused him of running a fool's errand. Loeb collected spherules from the exact zone of the object and while the spherules he collected do contain anomalies i(and likely of interstellar origin) t does not prove they are of alien origin.

Offering alternative theories is within the bounds of the scientific method as other in the case of both objects exhaustive investigation has not comprehensively determined the origin of the material. Until their origin is completely determined all bets are on. Loeb is one of the few who is willing to put his own reputation on the line (and why should he?) to say that they may also be of artificial origin.

Loeb put his reputation on the line, and since he's consistently been wrong about pretty much everything he's claimed, it's costing him that reputation.

Soon Loeb's reputation will be on par with Tsoukalos'.

What was he wrong about? both the objects entering our solar system in 2014 and 2017 were interstellar in origin (he was right about that)

Both objects have anomalies that can't be explained by conventional explanation (he was right about this)

Nobody has been able to come up with categorical evidence that both objects are natural (he is right about this)

He is therefore entitled to postulate that given the interstellar origins and anomalous nature of the objects that an artificial origin can't be ruled out.

The witch hunt against Loeb reminds me of the same type of witch hunt instigated by Harvard against Prof John Mack (founding father of the Dept of Psychiatry at Harvard) over his investigation into alien abduction phenomena. The finding for Mack equally applies to Loeb .Harvard issued a statement stating that the Dean had "reaffirmed Dr. Mack's academic freedom to study what he wishes and to state his opinions without impediment," concluding "Dr. Mack remains a member in good standing of the Harvard Faculty of Medicine."

The same applies to Prof Avi Loeb. His academic record puts him as the most decorated astronomer in his field on the planet. His reputation is not beholden to the opinions of small minded (Loeb refers to them as "myopic") colleagues whose attacks remind me of the "tall poppy syndrome".

Tsoukalos is a media personality not an academic. Academic reputation isn't based on the opinions of social media. It isn't subject to realtime popularity.

Loeb's academic reputation has already been established based on his publication record, positions held and awards given.

What exactly was he "right about"?

Nothing.

He just pointed what everybody already knew. That both objects were intersteller in origin and both had anomalies.

All he did was to tack on his own purely speculative explanations for the anomalies ...those being ...we dont what know what caused it ...therefore those things were built by little green men.

Last edited by naturalplastic on 01 Dec 2023, 9:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.