What's happening?

You hear a strange buzzing sound while you are eating your lunch. You look up, just in time to see a flying saucerA term used to describe UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects). coming down to land on the school playground. The door opens, and out steps an alien onto the tarmac. What do you do? 

It may not sound like a serious question. But some experts say we need to start seriously thinking about what we would do if aliens landed on Earth.

There are no global laws or rules saying what you should do if you see an alien landing. And all of the rules that have been made for space are about what humans are allowed to do there and how it might affect other humans.

Some worry that if we do find aliens, we might not treat them very well. People do not have a good track recordPast performance or achievements. of treating even other humans well, let alone animals.

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This is why many think we should make new rules now, to make sure that aliens have rights and cannot be harmed. Meanwhile, others say we should start thinking about what to do if aliens turn out to be more powerful than us and get rid of our rights. 

Should we take extraterrestrials seriously?

Yes! It is always best to be prepared. If aliens are discovered, it will be a huge turning point in the history of humankind. 

No! There is no proof that aliens even exist. And we have lots of problems we know do exist to deal with. We can think about laws for aliens if and when they are found.