The Ancient Civilization Hypothesis

A major debate within MUFON and the larger UFO community rages over the origin of the objects and craft we study. When public awareness of the topic first emerged in the early fifties the obvious conclusion was that they were craft from another planet. Skeptics leaped at this pointing out that there could be no life elsewhere in our solar system and that travel beyond it was impossible according to Einstein's Theory of Relativity. The first argument is now known to be almost certainly wrong though as yet there is no public announcement of a discovery of life on Mars or Europa, the second has been weakened by a new generation of physicists who have put forth a number of theories that suggest ways to cross the universe with out contradicting Einstein.

While the extraterrestrial hypothesis remains strong, ufologists have suggested other possibilities. Now that string theory suggests the possibility of parallel universes, inter dimensional travel is a popular contender as is time travel. Personally I agree with most physicists that time travel is impossible. I'm greatly disappointed in this. I would like to travel to the future. The inter-dimensional and extraterrestrial hypothesis however look like they still have a lot going for them.

But an article in this months issue of The MUFON Journal (November No. 535) has gotten me wondering about a thought that has been nagging me for a long time. What if “They” have always been here?

Richard Hoffman, Alabama State Director (MUFON), writes about a meeting he had with Dr. Leon Kazarian, who stated that he was studying the long term effects of space travel on the human body at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Hoffman recalls Kazarian stating that “..his team had projected out a future scenario where if two consecutive generations were to live in space, we (humans) would give birth to children who resemble the current beings associated with UFOs.” Hoffman later wonders if this suggests the time travel hypothesis. But suppose time travel really is impossible.

A number of ruins and other traces have suggested that civilization may have existed on earth at a time far earlier than the currently accepted 3000 years or so. Earlier than that and all traces could be erased by geologic action. Suppose then that a technologically advanced human civilization existed on Earth say 80,000 years ago. This civilization developed some form of space travel along with the other technologies that would be contemporary with that. Like our present civilization, some of the people would live in technologically advanced comfort while others would remain primitive with other levels of technology and superstition in between. Then there is a global catastrophe. A significant portion of the advanced peoples leave the Earth and survive. The greater portion of those left behind die leaving only a few thousand to restart the human race on Earth. After a few generations the space dwellers would, if Kazarian's statement is correct, develop smaller bodies, larger heads, and almond shaped eyes, as a result of living in weightlessness or reduced gravity, and exposure to cosmic radiation. They would have traveled in space for many generations, perhaps seeking a home at another star, perhaps taking up residence in our Solar neighborhood in artificial habitats. Eventually some of the space dwellers would return to see if Mother Earth might be habitable. By then they would look quite alien.

A catastrophic reduction in the human population may have occurred. Research into the human genome suggests that human population was suddenly reduced to about 15'000 individuals, 70,000 years ago. This is called The Toba catastrophe theory because it happened when the Toba super volcano in Indonesia erupted causing major environmental change. Wikapedia states on the subject, “The theory is based on geological evidences of sudden climate change and on coalescence evidences of some genes (including mitochondrial DNA, Y-chromosome and some nuclear genes) and the relatively low level of genetic variation with humans.”

A single suggestion in a recalled conversation and a few theories isn't much to hang a hypothesis on but it does suggest an explanation for UFO visitors that does not require the great energies to cross interstellar distances or travel between dimensions. The space-born survivors would have the motivation to visit Earth and the means to since great distances do not have to be involved. I am a little uncomfortable that this dovetails with the Ancient Astronaut theorist with whom I largely disagree but advancing knowledge means looking at things in new ways.

If this hypothesis turns out to be the case how do we greet them when real contact is finally made? Hi cousin, Been awhile?