Aliens not out to kill us: Dutch scientist

Today, on World UFO Day, scientists press that any eventual alien contact will be out of peace and interest, not out of a desire for the destruction of Earthlings and our planet. Coen Vermeeren, a scientist and aero- and astronautics expert at TU Delft, tells NOS Radio 1 that he believes UFOs exist, which makes him one of the few in his field who do not call it "nonsense". Vermeeren stakes his conviction on a report that he says was published in America which states that UFOs and extraterrestrials are not interesting to study for scientists. "Still, there are many stories in that report from people who have seen things that are interesting and believable. But you only notice that if you sink yourself into the subject. Most scientists don't want that and still give their opinion." Vermeeren also says that Hollywood is largely to blame for the feeling that aliens are something to be scared of. People who tell their stories in UFO sightings reports are not people who have lost their minds. Accoridng to Vermeeren these people are professionals. Pilots, air traffic controllers and astronauts. People whose jobs involve looking into space. "They have often seen unidentified object. Those are vessels that we do not know on our Earth, but that do appear on the radar." Vermeeren encourages the concept of World UFO Day. He says that the only way to escape from the taboo around 'little green men' and 'space probes' is to talk about it. "If more scientists stand up for alien life, then we can profit from that."