The Zoo hypothesis ? The zoo hypothesis speculates on the assumed behavior and existence of technically advanced extraterrstrials life and the reasons they refrain from contacting Earth. It is one of many theoretical explanations for the fermi paradox . The hypothesis is that alien life intentionally avoids communication with Earth; one of its main interpretations is that it does so to allow for natural evolution and socio cultural development , avoiding interplanetary contamination , similarly to people observing animals at a zoo. The hypothesis seeks to explain the apparent absence of extraterrestrial life despite its generally accepted plausibility and hence the reasonable expectation of its existence. A variant on the zoo hypothesis suggested by the former MIT Haystack Observatory scientist John Allen Ball is the laboratory hypothesis, where humanity is being subjected to experiments, with the Earth being a giant ...