Joe Rogan is stunned by 'alien probe' hurtling towards Earth at 130,000mph
NASA has identified the object, named 3I/ATLAS, as a likely comet, but Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has proposed a more controversial theory, suggesting the object could be 'an alien probe.'
Rogan said that the object is approaching from behind the sun, making it difficult to detect, adding that Loeb believes the object is on a direct trajectory toward Earth and could arrive in 2027.
During Tuesday's episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the podcaster read aloud from the DailyMail.com article, reacting in real-time to its contents.
' The object measures roughly seven miles in diameter. Holy f***. How big is New York City?'* he said, astonished. 'Bigger than Mount Everest, making it the largest interstellar object ever spotted.'
The article also included skepticism from astronomer Chris Lintott of the University of Oxford, who told Live Science that Loeb's theory was 'nonsense on stilts.'
Rogan acknowledged the criticism but defended Loeb's credentials: 'Harvard is legit and Avi is a legit astronomer.'
The podcaster then speculated that the object could be intentionally sent to Earth to wipe out humanity and reset civilization, similar to how the dinosaurs were wiped out.
Rogan offered his scenario for what could happen if the object turns out to be an alien craft, suggesting 'that might be the end of the Earth.'
He speculated that the timing of the object's arrival could coincide with a tipping point in the rise of artificial intelligence, imagining a future where AI gains control of the planet and deems humanity unsalvageable.
'It wipes everything out. Just like when the dinosaurs were here. Maybe that's how they reset the game,' said Rogan.
In his view, such an extinction-level event could pave the way for a new beginning.
'We start fresh with new organisms, and then they come along and do genetic engineering, just like they did with us and monkeys, to create a new version of humans,' he continued.
'But this time, they make us a little less territorial, a little more inquisitive, more interested in innovation and less focused on controlling resources. Because that's what f**** us.'
3I/ATLAS was first identified on July 1 in data from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile.
A team of more than 200 researchers determined that the object's nucleus, the solid core of a comet, is roughly 3.5 miles wide, and its appearance suggests it contains large amounts of ice and dust in a surrounding cloud known as a coma.
However, Loeb recently challenged this classification in a preprint study published on arXiv.
Loeb and his team found that 3I/ATLAS appears to lack a coma altogether, raising doubts about whether it is a natural object.
According to the Harvard professor, the absence of a coma could mean the object isn't a comet at all but something artificial.
'The consequences, should the hypothesis turn out to be correct, could potentially be dire for humanity, and would possibly require defensive measures to be undertaken (though these might prove futile),' the study warned.
Loeb's theory draws from a bleak scientific concept known as the Dark Forest Hypothesis, which suggests that intelligent civilizations may remain silent or act preemptively to eliminate threats, meaning they could view humanity as something to destroy before it becomes dangerous.
'As a scientist, I respond to evidence collected by instruments, the professor shared in a blog post on Wednesday.
'As of now, we have anomalies but we need more data on 3I/ATLAS or other interstellar objects in order to ascertain whether any one of them is technological in origin.
'Once we find an interstellar artifact beyond a reasonable doubt, the next step will be to figure out its technological capabilities and intent.'
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