The news was a big deal in the world of science, especially astronomy.
Seven planets about the size of Earth have been discovered orbiting a star about 235 trillion miles out in space that they say could have water.
And could be planets that could have some kind of life.
Said one astronomer at the University of Cambridge,” I think we have made a crucial step toward finding if there is life out there.”
Of course, discovering these planets through a telescope that are trillions of miles away is light years away, so to speak, of knowing where they could potentially contain some form of life, however we’d define that.
And as soon as the news came out this week, predictably, there were the satirical posts on social media from some who consider President Trump an alien creature to get a ticket to one of these distant planets as soon as they become available.
But aside from all the joke about scientists discovering some new planets way out there, the news does raise some issues.
With all the problems we have on Earth, from hunger to disease to crime to natural disasters to terrorism and war, how smart is it to be spending time and money on something like some new distant planets that are probably nothing more than giant rocks in space?
Of course, it all makes for interesting conversation among those who like to think, or want to believe, there are aliens out there.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t study the universe which can be beneficial to understanding the planet we live on.
But science can’t solve the real problems on Earth, the human problems we have, because they are problems of the heart and soul.
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