When the little green men show up on their space shuttle, they might have trouble finding a leader to talk to.

Despite some of the most promising science fiction reports out there, the United Nations will not be appointing an ambassador to extraterrestrials.

The Martian madness began with a report in the London Telegraph that “Mazlan Othman, a Malaysian astrophysicist, is set to be tasked with co-ordinating humanity’s response if and when extraterrestrials make contact.”

Othman was appointed the director of the United Nations’ Office for Outer Space Affairs in 1999. According to the Telegraph story, the scientist would announce her new role at a Royal Society conference in Buckinghamshire next week.

The real life “Men In Black” story burned through the Internet, but the Guardian has stopped all the alien fun by actually asking Othman about her supposed appointment.

Othman sent the paper an e-mail saying, “It sounds really cool but I have to deny it.” She will be attending a conference next week, but she’ll be talking about how the world deals with “near-Earth objects.”

Though, perhaps just like the alien ambassadors in the movie “Men in Black,” Othman could be keeping the job a secret. No aliens could be reached to confirm or deny this story.

Favorite This!