Stephen Hawking has been exhibiting some serious Fox Mulder behavior as of late: In a new documentary series to air on the Discovery Channel, the renowned scientist will discuss his strong belief in the existence of extraterrestrial life—and will advise humankind to stay away, warning that contact with those life forms could threaten humanity's survival. For Hawking, contemplating alien life in the universe is a logical numbers game: In a universe of 100 billion galaxies, how could Earth be the only planet with intelligent life? “To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational," he said. In terms of aliens actually visiting Earth, he says, "I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans.” According to Hawking, aliens may come to Earth to exploit its resources (Independence Day, anyone?) and then move on: "I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach.”
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