Finding alien life probably won’t drive us into panic and chaos

On a humid summer’s day in 1996, President Bill Clinton appeared on the South Lawn of The White House and announced that NASA had discovered what looked to be fossilized bacteria on a Martian meteorite. 

It was unprecedented for a President to publicly address potential evidence of alien life — and on television. But the American public didn’t react to the unexpected announcement with panic, fear, or social upheaval.

“You didn’t see droves of people abandoning their religion, spouses, or jobs,” said Michael Varnum, an assistant professor of psychology at Arizona State University, in an interview. Read more…

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