Avi Loeb Fights Back: Response to Brian Cox & the 3I/ATLAS Critics

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Nov 15, 2025

Avi Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist and director of the Galileo Project, dives into the captivating complexities of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. He discusses its unusual jets and spectral changes that defy traditional comet models. Addressing critiques from figures like Brian Cox, Loeb emphasizes the importance of scientific humility and open inquiry. He explores whether the object's movements suggest natural sublimation or technological propulsion, highlighting the implications for the future of scientific discourse.

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00:00 / 00:00

Everyday Encounters After Publicity

Avi Loeb recounted strangers recognizing him when ordering a dishwasher and at his barber.
These interactions illustrate how 3I/ATLAS has raised his public visibility unexpectedly.

00:00 / 00:00

Art Gifts Inspire A Bronze 'Alien' Sculpture

Avi received 51 Galileo watercolors and sculpting tools and plans to create a bronze 'Alien' sculpture.
He connects artistic gifts to science outreach and creativity inspired by 3I/ATLAS.

00:00 / 00:00

Jets, Anti‑Tail, And Mass‑Flux Puzzle

3I/ATLAS showed sunward jets and a persistent anti-tail that defy typical comet expectations.
The observed mass-flux and energy budget challenge standard sublimation models for a single small body.

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Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb returns to break down the newest data on 3I/ATLAS, the interstellar object captivating the world — and triggering fierce debate among scientists. In this extended conversation, Loeb responds directly to recent public criticism from Brian Cox, Jason Wright, and others, clarifies what the data actually show, and explains why humility and open inquiry remain essential to the scientific method.

The latest images of the interstellar object show a single intact body, a sunward jet, and energy requirements that challenge familiar comet models. These anomalies have ignited one of the most heated scientific debates of the decade.

We explore the latest observations since 3I/ATLAS’ October 29 perihelion:

• Why its jets, brightness, and spectral changes are so unusualt

• What would distinguish natural sublimation from technological propulsiont

• How its orbit, size, and mass budget challenge standard modelst

• Why the public response matters for the future of sciencet

• How criticism of scientific inquiry mirrors the historical treatment of Galileot

Follow Avi's latest findings and discoveries here https://avi-loeb.medium.com/3i-atlas-is-still-a-single-body-with-a-sunward-anti-tail-after-perihelion-667fe41c0071

In this livestream, Avi will address:

• Why the post-perihelion images complicate the natural-comet interpretationt

• Whether a technological origin is still on the tablet

• Why critics insist the anomalies are trivial — and why Avi argues they’re nott

• How scientific consensus forms, breaks, and evolves under stresst

• What the new mass-flux and energy calculations imply for 3I/ATLASt

We’ll explore the science, the skepticism, and the stakes — and we’ll take live audience questions from channel members. Join our esteemed set of members here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmXH_moPhfkqCk6S3b9RWuw/join

Whether you’re convinced, skeptical, or undecided, this is the conversation the public deserves: open, rigorous, and unfiltered.

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