Let's Dig A Little Deeper Into The Space Aliens

The whole idea of intelligent alien life, especially in the absence of proof, is a belief system that's at least parallel to religion, and among its more radical adherents it simply explains religion. This is particularly true with the ancient astronaut theory. According to Wikipedia,

"Ancient astronauts" (or "ancient aliens") refers to a pseudoscientific hypothesis which holds that intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited Earth and made contact with humans in antiquity and prehistoric times. Proponents suggest that this contact influenced the development of modern cultures, technologies, religions, and human biology. A common position is that deities from most, if not all, religions are extraterrestrial in origin, and that advanced technologies brought to Earth by ancient astronauts were interpreted as evidence of divine status by early humans.

However, I've got to take issue with Wikipedia's next assertion:

The idea that ancient astronauts existed and visited Earth is not taken seriously by academics and archaeologists, who consider it to be pseudoarchaeological and/or unscientific. It has received no credible attention in peer reviewed studies. When proponents of the idea present evidence in favor of their beliefs, it is often distorted or fabricated.

I've already posted here on Diana Pasulka, a full professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Carolina -- Wilmington, who publishes and makes frequent appearances essentially arguing that both religion and technology do in fact stem from the terrestrial visits of ancient aliens. This is a tenured full professor at an accredited institution whose publications are in fact taken seriously by her colleagues. I've made highly critical observations about her public statements in the post linked above.

Prometheus Entertainment's shows on the History Channel generally ascribe to the ancient astronaut theory, especially in the eponymous Ancient Aliens, which is up to 164 episodes in 18 seasons. Recent episodes of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch purport to give evidence of contemporary UFO activity, so much so that the YouTuber Professor Simon Holland has come out and said that although he'd considered the show "more bigfoot than big science", he's now changed his mind:

His conclusion isn't entirely coherent. He seems to feel that the Prometheus Entertainment crew at the ranch is focusing too specifically on what's happening in that part of Utah, when he thinks there are other places on the planet like, say, Stonehenge, Lourdes, or the Dead Sea, where similar encounters take place. That, according to Prof Holland, is the "big picture" they should be looking at. ("Simon Holland" is actually a common name, but this makes if difficult to determine just which Professor Holland he is, and where he is, or was, on the faculty. So far, I've come up empty.)

The same applies to Dr Travis Taylor, who is best known as an "astrophysicist" who's appeared on several Prometheus Entertainment and National Geographic shows. According to Wikipedia,

Travis Shane Taylor (born 24 July 1968 in Decatur, Alabama) is an aerospace engineer, optical scientist, science fiction author, and star of National Geographic Channel's Rocket City Rednecks. Taylor has written more than 25 technical papers, 14 science fiction novels and two textbooks, and has appeared in multiple television documentaries, including NGC's When Aliens Attack.

However, although he has multiple advanced degrees -- "a doctorate in optical science and engineering, a master's degree in physics, a master's degree in aerospace engineering, a master's degree in astronomy, and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering" -- he doesn't have a PhD in physics or astrophysics, and he appears never to have held an academic position, so his actual qualifications in the areas in question aren't entirely convincing. His day job, if he has one outside his TV appearances, seems to be something or other at NASA. But Professor Simon Holland takes him seriously.

I think Prometheus does offer a bigger picture than Holland surmises: at various points in the three seasons so far of the Skinwalker show, the crew has referred somewhat vaguely to a large metallic anomaly lying brneath the ranch, which some have suggested may be an ancient alien mother ship buried for safekeeping, or something like that, and emanations from the buried ship are what's disabling the crew's monitors. But as of the latest episode, they think the aliens, possibly in the buried mother ship, are now trying to send them messages.

The most that can be said is that, contrary to the Wikipedia entry, this stuff is moving into the mainstream, and professors of whatever provenance are in fact beginning to sign on. Stay tuned.