Visitors from beyond the stars have arrived.

What secrets could our

intergalactic friends share?

What wonders could

these space chums unveil?

They DO NOT come in peace.

The aliens have arrived,

and they're here to lay down the law.

Humans are no longer

at the top of the food chain,

and we're now at the mercy

of our alien overlords.

I, for one, welcome our alien overlords.

For centuries,

humans have been calling the shots on Earth.

Just ask the animals we use as food,

keep in zoos,

hunt for sport,

or even have around the house as pets.

We're in for quite the shock

when our new intergalactic masters show up

and give us a taste of our own medicine.

What, exactly, would they do to us?

Well, we may become the new animals.

We'd be treated as a commodity

to be bought, traded and sold.

And if these aliens are anything like we are,

we'd also be their lunch.

Human cells are made up of proteins,

nucleic acids and membranes.

If the aliens had the same

basic biochemistry as us,

they would be able to convert our

tasty, nourishment-filled bodies

into energy for themselves.

Would aliens start farming us en masse?

What sort of intergalactic economy

could be created by

using humans like livestock.

In China alone,

the pork industry is worth $128 billion (U.S.),

and has 433 million pigs ready to barbecue.

There are 17 times as many

humans on the planet.

To an alien food connoisseur,

would we be just as tasty?

Human burger, anyone?

What if we were seen as a delicacy

to be distributed across the Universe?

Or, what about just pieces of human?

Even to us, body parts are a hot commodity.

A heart is $1.4 million to transplant,

and worth $119,000 on the open market.

Kidneys are around the $200,000 mark.

Livers are $157,000,

and bone marrow is $23,000/gram (0.03 oz).

We're dealing with human economics here,

but this idea can be applied to the concept

that we are Earth's new cattle.

We're a living organism

that might be sold to someone,

or something.

Somewhere.

In space.

But what if the aliens

didn't think we were delicious?

What if they thought we were …

cute?

Well, in the U.S.,

there are nearly 70 million dogs

being kept as pets,

and 74 million cats.

Brazil has 191 million

feathered best friends.

Would the aliens keep us as pets?

Or, even worse,

what if they kept us in captivity

and gawked at us?

You know, like we do with animals in zoos.

There are approximately 6,000 species

in zoos around the world.

About 8,000,000 animals in total.

The aliens may not have as much variety

in human zoos,

but we sure are an entertaining bunch.

Imagine a group of alien children

on a school trip,

watching you in your natural habitat.

“See, children?”

lectures the alien headmistress.

“The human is on its phone again.”

So, there's not a lot to look forward to.

But it makes us think

Well, the Earth looks like

a nice place to set up shop,

on paper.

Earth has plate tectonics

that help to keep the climate stable,

a global magnetic field that keeps

solar winds from getting close,

and the added bonus of a moon

that stops Earth from wobbling

on its axis too much.

That combination would look

appealing to the aliens,

and it's something they might have a

difficult time finding anywhere else.

And what about us?

Well, we already know

we'd not only be delicious,

but profitable.

With the aliens having a monopoly

on the human market,

they could start making

more rewarding changes to their new home.

Considering they're intelligent enough

to travel light-years to get here,

how hard could it be to redevelop a planet?

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Now back to your regularly scheduled

alien invasion.

The truth is,

we don't know for sure

what the aliens' plans would be.

This is only one of several scenarios

that could happen if we faced an alien invasion.

What if the aliens are

already planning to head our way?

Surveying the land

and getting to know these strange humans

who call Earth home?

What if aliens were already watching us?