And, from their particulars, they could double as ghosts:
“Aliens exist, there’s no two ways about it,” Dr Sharman told the Observer Magazine. “There are so many billions of stars out there in the universe that there must be all sorts of forms of life.
“Will they be like you and me, made up of carbon and nitrogen? Maybe not. It’s possible they’re right here right now and we simply can’t see them.”
Verity Bowman, “Aliens exist and may already be among us, says first British astronaut” at The Telegraph
It’s curious how space aliens are assigned to “science,” no matter what proposition is entertained with respect to them. Perhaps they reward sheer, blind faith.
Hat tip: Ken Francis
See also: Why DO we keep sending music to extraterrestrials? At Slate: “the artists use music as a way of conveying information, whether it’s about our aesthetic sensibilities, our technology, or our physiology—all topics that would presumably be of interest to an extraterrestrial recipient.” And, having discovered we like rock, they sent us Oumuamua, right?
Philosophy prof: Our theories steer us away from finding ET. Every so often the people searching for extraterrestrial life that just never seems to turn up need a pep talk. It often takes the form of “You know, we could be on the wrong track”.
and
Tales of an invented god: The most important characteristic of an AI cult is that its gods (Godbots?) will be created by the AI developers and not the other way around