‘Why are the aliens so interested in the United States?’ SETI scientist Seth Shostak questions UFO sightings

We have long heard reports of UFOs, now also referred to as UAPs, and some of the most well-known incidents have been reported in America. These include the 1947 Roswell incident and the long-standing mystery surrounding Area 51. And over the years, such stories have become a big part of America's fascination with UFOs and the possibility of alien life.

In an exclusive interview with Starlust, SETI senior astronomer Seth Shostak raises an intriguing question. He says, If aliens are real, why do they seem so interested in America? Here's a look at what he shared and what it tells us about our fascination with alien life.

"Why are the aliens so interested in the United States, right? I mean, why aren't they flying over Denmark, or why aren't they flying over Botswana, or Bolivia, or Belgium?,” Dr Seth Shostak shared in the interview. He was referring to the sightings of UFOs in America, as also seen in the Pentagon’s release of the declassified UFO files.

In fact, he says, about 30% of Americans believe that aliens exist among us. “I hear from people every week who have seen something that they think might be alien spacecraft. And keep in mind that something like 30% of the American public believes that not only are the aliens out there in space, but some of them are here on Earth, occasionally calling people out of their homes,” he added.

So, why do more and more people believe that aliens exist? On this, Shostak explained, "If they see something they don't understand, particularly in the sky, they're going to say, well, those are aliens." He added, "But the reason they say those are aliens is because they've seen aliens on television and in the movies."

Shostak also believes that movies and TV shows can influence how people perceive strange objects they come across. This is because, after decades of science fiction films, many people already have a picture in mind when they think of alien spacecraft.

Even with all these reports and sightings, scientists have yet to find any evidence that aliens exist or that they are here. "If we had any good evidence for aliens here on Earth, you would see hundreds, thousands, really, of scientists working away on that problem every day because there's hardly anything that would be more interesting," Shostak said.

But there is still no sign of that happening. He further notes that Americans “love to believe in conspiracies.”

Dr. Seth urges readers to be careful when it comes to sightings of UFOs. This is because, even though the possibility of life existing somewhere beyond Earth is fascinating, reports of such sightings in the sky are not proof of alien activity. There could also be other, more ordinary explanations for these sightings, such as drones or satellites orbiting our planet.

“I think people ought to keep in mind the fact that there's good reason to be kind of skeptical when they hear about sightings of alien craft,” he added.