3I/ATLAS: Comet or Contact? A Scientist from SETCI says humanity is unprepared either way

London, November 24, 2025 — As the mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS hurtles toward Earth, speculation is mounting: is it merely a comet or something more? Dr. Marcus Wenner, neuroscientist and member of the Scientists for Extra Terrestrial Contact Initiative (www.setci.org), offers an interesting and bold assessment: “Whether 3I/ATLAS is a natural object or an intelligent probe, it forces us to confront a deeper question: ‘Are we truly prepared for contact with an extraterrestrial civilization?’ Because right now, quite frankly, we’ve been caught with our pants down.”

Dr. Wenner emphasized that any civilization capable of interstellar travel would, by necessity, have transcended violence. “If they were aggressive, they would have self-destructed long ago, just as we risk doing now with our own nuclear capabilities. The very fact that they might have made it here suggests they value peace, wisdom, and cooperation over conquest.”

Yet peaceful intent does not eliminate the issue of unpreparedness. “Even if 3I/ATLAS poses no threat, it highlights the troubling reality that we have no global framework, no diplomatic mechanisms, and no unified scientific infrastructure ready to receive a civilization that will almost certainly think and behave in radically unfamiliar ways.  This is one of the reasons why i decided to join SETCI.” Dr. Wenner continued.

According to Daniel Turcotte, Director General of the Embassy for Extraterrestrials Project, the stakes are unprecedented. “The arrival of an extraterrestrial civilization would represent the most profound event in human history. We must prepare a diplomatic framework rooted in peace and universal respect to receive such visitors,” he stated. He also reiterated that the Embassy Project is not science fiction, but a pragmatic and peaceful initiative, and the only responsible path forward.

Dr. Wenner also raised concerns about human fear and bias, citing our failure to manage even intra-human differences."If we still fight over skin color and religious dogma, how can we possibly welcome beings who are sure to be far more different?” In such a context, the risk of global panic or even military escalation looms large. “If an unidentified object enters our airspace, do we greet it with diplomacy or with missiles?”

As for the Embassy Project, momentum is building with active discussions already underway with several governments about co-hosting an international conference on extraterrestrial diplomacy. “This would serve as the platform to introduce an optional protocol to the Vienna Convention,” said Turcotte, “a vital step in legitimizing peaceful interplanetary contact under international law.”

“When one courageous nation steps forward,” Turcotte concluded, “it will mark a historic diplomatic milestone--one that opens the door not only to contact, but to a new era of planetary unity and cosmic dialogue.”