Ancient/Extraterrestrial technologies used commonly today?

Has anyone ever wondered if some of the more amazing (probably not the right word to use) technologies that exist today were based on artifacts found in ancient civilizations, which themselves may have been influenced by other-worldly visitors? I’m not talking about the wheel or the introduction of metal but like the alleged batteries found in Iraq. There are even some stories from various ancient civilizations that describe items that appear to be some sort of electrical device. I think it is possible that some of our technologies are of ‘extraterrestrial’ origin. I remember watching a show that suggested that fiber optics and night vision goggles were created by reverse engineering items recovered from a UFO site. Maybe it’s possible that Atlantis and Mu, if they did exist, were probably as advanced as some have speculated. Maybe companies, which were contracted to reverse engineer technologies acquired by the U.S. military, were partially compensated by allowing to the market the technology to the general public. Say fiber optics or CPUs for example…just throwing out ideas.

How do you all think?

I think it has merit, but I also think it would be practically impossible to find out which ones....

Good topic, I'll be following it.

Originally posted by j619pinoy
I remember watching a show that suggested that fiber optics and night vision goggles were created by reverse engineering items recovered from a UFO site.

This was told by Colonel Corso. He wrote the book "Day after Roswell" which he states that he was in charge of reverse engineering technology found from the Roswell crash site in Roswell New Mexico in 1947. It was a very interesting book. There are alot of people who believe him and do not believe him. I for one believed him.


[edit on 2/4/2006 by Stari]

Night vision goggles?

Never heard that one, especially since there is a long trail of the primitive early versions and prototypes and the continued improvements over time. Museums are full of the early models.

The first work in fiber optics predates 1947, so that did not come from the mythical 'Roswell crash'.

Velcro! That I may believe.

I did some research for a paper on the history of the transistor last year for a history of technology class. The first transistor was developed in December 1947 by Bell Laboratories. The Roswell crash happened about 6 months before that.

I came across a few theories that suggested that the transistor had been scavenged from the wreckage at Roswell, and reverse engineered. Personally, I don't buy this theory at all, as the evidence of the transistor having been developed without alien technology seems overwhelming, at least to me. I thought I would mention it because I'm sure others will be interested in that theory, even though I think it's bunk.

Velcro! That I may believe.

If you have watched Star Trek: Enterprise, you know that Velcro was sold to an earth company by a Vulcan who had gotten stranded on earth...

well if these technologies were jumpstarted or entirelly alien there are the careers of thousands that are total lies..... At best any alien crash only allowed more rapid development cycles which could in a sort of way explain the recent seeming slowdown in the cycle moores law seems to perpetuate. However this whole theory brings up the bugaboo question of why can we barelly make it out of orbit with 32 bit processing if they could travel across galaxies or light years?

Even speaking as someone who seriously doubts if not outright scoffs at official explanations of roswell, my personal opinion of corso and his ilk is distinctivelly negative. If we stole real technology, excluding the tr-3b rumours etc, I'd bet on an earthbound origin and scientists still scratching their heads at whatever pounded the desert floor at roswell.

It shows supreme disrespect to say kevlar the transistor or fiberoptics were pure alien inventions when the development cycle of all of these products is clearly documented.... further if we have that little faith in our species why didn't we nuke ourselves to oblivion the first chance we got?

Originally posted by DragonsDemesne
I came across a few theories that suggested that the transistor had been scavenged from the wreckage at Roswell, and reverse engineered.

Again, that doesn't stand up to the common sense test. Transistors are a now obsolete technology. We earthbound humans have already moved several generations beyond it. Does it make sense that a civilization capable of interstellar travel would still be using something as primitive as a transistor?

Are you perhaps talking about Egypts ancient batteries. Because the theory on that it still completely open, from Atlantis to fallen angels, to gods teaching us the technology.

One way or another, no matter how one looks at it, some one taught us the technology, their records tell us this. Alien, god/s or fallen angel perhaps all of the above, we have it and that is proof enough. Not like it just suddenly appeared, it just happened so long ago, it became forgotten, and or changed.

Sort of like how one can whisper a message into anothers ear, and pass it on and so forth. By the time it gets back to the originator, the message has been changed beyond recognition. Same principle, just imagine a few thousand years of that happening.

Hey check out this thread www.abovetopsecret.com...
I think you wil find it interesting, and its related to what you are seeking to know probally.

Originally posted by j619pinoy
Has anyone ever wondered if some of the more amazing (probably not the right word to use) technologies that exist today were based on artifacts found in ancient civilizations, which themselves may have been influenced by other-worldly visitors?

Fair question.

Now... how much do you know about engineering and ancient engineers?

I’m not talking about the wheel or the introduction of metal but like the alleged batteries found in Iraq.

They date to about 50 AD - 200 AD. They're made from common materials to the region.
www.unmuseum.org...

There are even some stories from various ancient civilizations that describe items that appear to be some sort of electrical device.

Only by people who look at the pictures and don't know how to read the text next to these items which discuss the items (in the language of that time) and talk about how they're used. Generally these are the djed pillars of Egypt and the ones yelling "lightbulb" point only to a superficial resemblance and not to things like... there's no trace of this kind of glass around and if they had these wonderful things, then why is ancient Egypt full of lamp oil soot from their candles and lamps? And why didn't the Egyptians export these to other civilizations that would have paid enormous sums for the miracles?

I think it is possible that some of our technologies are of ‘extraterrestrial’ origin. I remember watching a show that suggested that fiber optics and night vision goggles were created by reverse engineering items recovered from a UFO site.

As others have pointed out, these shows are produced by writers who are interested in getting sales. It's easier to do a "REVERSE ENGINEERING SPACE ALIENS!!!" show than it is to look up the development of fiber optics from fiberglass and so forth and talk about how the technology came together.

But... let's look at a supposition: suppose that there was some sort of alien technology that was introduced. What would be the signs of this?

* there would be no precursor to the development in that civilization or civilizations that came into contact with the inventor's home civilization/town.
* there would be no theoretical or research basis for the development in the science or beliefs of that people (in other words, their knowledge of math and chemistry wouldn't lead to the product.)
* there would be no industries that supported precursors to this technology.
* it wouldn't be a small leap... it would be an impossible leap.

Let's give an example: Pharonic Egypt suddenly develops modern Westinghouse refrigerators with ice makers.

In that case, you could argue that something fishy is going on, since the Egypt of the pharoahs was barely into the Bronze age and had no way of developing or smelting aluminum, making high tech ceramics, creating factories, making plastics, and providing a consistant and reliable electrical grid. They would have suddenly gone from farming to industrial revolution work before any of the infrastructure developed.

The "it's ATLANTEAN/it's UFO-ian!!!" explaination for our technology relies on you not looking up the patent for the device or bothering to look up the associated technologies that supported it and made the development of the device possible... and relies on your not being smart enough to look at the math and science research going on in the world then and now to see if there's a theoretical basis for the device.

Sugarlump,
To address your position of people losing their credentials...
Many records were set by aircraft manufacturers pilots, and CIA pilots that have not, and may not be disclosed.
The records that stand are by aircraft that are "acknowleged". Many records were broken un-officially and beaten. Many still stand, but cannot be openly admitted. Security and stuff.

Lex

Originally posted by Byrd
...
The "it's ATLANTEAN/it's UFO-ian!!!" explaination for our technology relies on you not looking up the patent for the device or bothering to look up the associated technologies that supported it and made the development of the device possible... and relies on your not being smart enough to look at the math and science research going on in the world then and now to see if there's a theoretical basis for the device.

Jeez Byrd ... I really hate it when folks start looking at all the aliens did this and aliens did that to get us where we are today. I almost take affront at the insinuations that we human-kind are too lame to figure out how things should/could work.

Thanks for the breath of fresh logic.

Edited to get all the little alien quote thingies in line.

[edit on 9-2-2006 by sigung86]

The technology we've inherited or reverse engineered from Aliens isn't technology we know about simply because of this "impossible leap" problem. If Best Buy suddenly started selling 3D holographic image recorders tomorrow, we'd know something was up.

However, UFO technology is being used. Just not by many of us. I have reason to believe the US Navy uses UFO tech. I don't have proof that will convince anyone, just info that's credible enough for me to believe it.

Not going to answer one way or another on the alien tech stuff, cause i'm really not sure, but i have noticed that some people have brought up the fact that some of the technologies mentioned would be considered primitive nowadays ( like the transistor.)

I wanted to make the point that just because you are reverse engineering the technology, doesnt mean you are going to end up with the exact product you are reverse engineering. Perhaps things like the transistor are a result of studying a higher technology but that was what they could come up with at the time. The same goes for the 32 bit processing. Maybe they had 128 bit processing but we could only get 32 bit to work from what we had?

Again, not to lean one way or the other, but one must examine things like that. Like many have mentioned , most if not all technology has a traceable path of development.

No. Humans had already invented everything long ago, but not because of aliens.

Here's an interesting topic I learned about on the History Channel (or NGC, I can't remember), about how the greeks had portable FLAME THROWERS 2500 YEARS AGO.

ancienthistory.about.com...

Pretty sweet!

most products were not jump started by the alien artifacts, the projects were under development already by humans, the artifacts from the crash kinda gave them some new ideas and pushed them faster through development.

You'll then try to derive a technology from it, ok? Scavenging wreckage is nice, but i doubt, i really doubt that reverse enginerring of something you don't even understand is a reliable practice. In other words, one hit wonders, maybe, systematic replication, probably not.

I could maybe understand aliens feeding us technology slowly, maybe helping a particular line of research along at critical periods.
As for the reverse engineering angle i agree with the other comments that any great leap forward in technology would set off too many alarms.

Perhaps at certain key points in our history we are given little boosts in the right direction, makes more sense to me.