Galactic graffiti

The theory proposed by certain folk that aliens might have left messages in our DNA (New Scientist, 10/9-11), particularly that they may have embedded code in long “junk” sequences that seem to serve no biological function just to let us know that hey, yoohoo, they exist and they'd like to be our best pals, smacks to me of the same self importance that makes other folk painstakingly decrypt texts such as the Bible for special messages using their own home-made God decoders, or even the spelling out of spiritual advice using a Ouija board.

Basically, people will find the messages they want to find amidst so much random information. If this brings them peace in a chaotic universe and keeps them off the streets at night, fine, but please, don’t set yourself up as expert medium and then tell me that your “unbiased” interpretation of what I should think and do based on what you read in the entrails of a goat is Science or the Truth.

Besides, who’d want to hang out with aliens who go around disrespectfully defacing the basic building blocks of living creatures and then zip off back to the stars never to be heard of again?

Of course, if it turns out that the aliens have embedded a YouTube link in our DNA, then I’ll post a video of myself eating a sombrero.