“Odors can be highly transitory, depending on the air currents. If this is happening in your house, ask if there are any possessions of that deceased loved one still around. If it happens elsewhere, consider just how many millions of people use the same perfume or smoke the same brand of cigar as someone you knew.” PeopleIfsStillsUseHappensAsksHouseMillionsAirHappeningsCurrentsPossessionBrandsSmokeLoved OnesElsewherePerfumeCigarTransitoryOdorDeceased Author:Seth Shostak
“There is little chance that aliens from two societies anywhere in the Galaxy will be culturally close enough to really 'get along.' This is something to ponder as you watch the famous cantina scene in Star Wars. ... Does this make sense, given the overwhelmingly likely situation that galactic civilizations differ in their level of evolutionary development by thousands or millions of years? Would you share drinks with a trilobite, an ourang-outang, or a saber-toothed tiger? Or would you just arrange to have a few specimens stuffed and carted off to the local museum?” YearsLittlesDoeTwoWarEnoughScienceGivenStarsChanceLevelsSituationWatchesMillionsShareDevelopmentEvolutionDrinkCivilizationSceneLocalsAliensMake SenseMuseumsTigersGalaxyPondering Author:Seth Shostak