Washington. For generations, humans have wondered what alien life might be like. Far less often do we ask the reverse: What would they think of us?

It’s a question that can yield some uncomfortable answers.

“If I were looking at Earth from a distance, I would be pretty disappointed,” said Avi Loeb, a theoretical physicist at Harvard University. “Most of our investment goes into conflict — preventing others from killing us or us killing others. Look at the war in Ukraine over a small piece of territory. That is not a sign of intelligence.”

Debate over UFOs and extraterrestrial life intensified in February when former President Barack Obama, responding to a podcast question, said aliens are “real,” though he added he has not seen them and they are not being hidden at Area 51. President Donald Trump later said he would direct the release of government files amid “tremendous interest.”

Interest in unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP, is also growing as the United States prepares to return to the moon with NASA’s Artemis II mission, which will send four astronauts on a flyby around the moon before returning to Earth.

In a world marked by war, civil unrest, climate change, and political divisions, it’s easy to wonder how outsiders might judge humanity. Many Americans already believe life exists beyond Earth.

A 2021 Pew Research Center survey found that about two-thirds of Americans believe intelligent life likely exists on other planets. Roughly half said UFOs reported by military personnel are “definitely” or “probably” evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence.

“We don’t want to think this is the only place in this extraordinarily large universe where life and intelligence have emerged,” said Bill Diamond, president and CEO of the SETI Institute. “It says something about us — we don’t want to be alone.”

Americans’ fascination with extraterrestrial life dates back decades, including the 1947 Roswell incident in New Mexico, when debris initially described as a “flying disc” was later identified by the military as a weather balloon.

Popular culture has since shaped perceptions of aliens, often portraying them as hostile. Priscilla Wald, a Duke University scholar of science fiction, says that reflects human behavior.

“It’s a reflection of who we are — we project onto aliens the way we treat each other,” Wald said. “They come to conquer, they’re violent. Who does that sound like? It sounds like us.”

In 2024, the Pentagon released hundreds of reports on unexplained aerial phenomena but found no evidence pointing to extraterrestrial origins.

Still, sightings persist.

Debbie Dmytro, a 56-year-old medical professional in Michigan, said she observed a greenish object in the sky earlier this year that did not resemble a plane or helicopter, though she acknowledged it could have been a drone.

Another sighting in 2023 was harder to explain.

“Four yellowish lights flying very low, completely silent and in perfect formation,” she said. “Is it man-made? Is it not? Who knows?”

“Who knows” remains a common refrain. The term UFO has increasingly been replaced by UAP — unidentified aerial or anomalous phenomena.

“Absolutely, there are such things as UAPs,” Diamond said. “People see objects they can’t immediately identify — whether aircraft, drones or even animals — and therefore they don’t know what they are.”

Retired Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet says UAP are real and warrant further study, though their origins remain unknown.

“We’ve recovered crashed craft,” he said. “We don’t know if they’re extraterrestrial.”

Gallaudet, who previously served as acting administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, supports the release of government data, including UAP videos held by the Navy.

“When you have objects in our airspace coming close to aircraft, that’s a real concern,” he said. “We don’t know what they are or their intent. That could be a national security issue — or not.”

Much of the secrecy surrounding UAP is tied to sensitive defense technology, Diamond said.

Still, some scientists argue the odds of life elsewhere are high. Edwin Bergin, an astronomy professor at the University of Michigan, notes there are billions of galaxies, each containing billions of stars.

If intelligent life has mastered interstellar travel, he said, it would likely reveal itself.

“I think they would look at us and think we’re a bit crazy,” Bergin said. “But if they came this far, why just observe?”

Loeb agrees extraterrestrial life likely exists — and may already be watching.

“They might be laughing at us,” he said. “They might be observing to make sure we don’t become dangerous.”

Diamond, however, doubts any true alien encounter could be kept secret.

“If a civilization has mastered interstellar travel, its capabilities would far exceed ours,” he said. “If they want to be seen, they will be. If not, they won’t.”