God it's great when Bill Nye teaches things. Usually.

For Big Think's #TuesdaysWithBill video series, someone asked if the government is hiding information about aliens from the public for fear it would disrupt our lives too much. So, your standard, run of the mill conspiracy theory, which Nye absolutely does not buy.

Crazy story: In 1947, the U.S. government put balloons in the sky, because the Soviet Union was evil. Those balloons eventually fell down. They threw dummies out of the sky, too. Now, people think the balloon and the dummies were extraterrestrial life. Nye can explain it better. Also, he knew some guys who went to Area 51.

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The moral of the story, though, is the government is terrible at keeping secrets, and aliens are no exception. So, there aren't any aliens strapped to testing equipment in Area 51 labs.

You know where there are aliens? Out there. In space. Just last week, NASA discovered Proxima B, a new Earth-like planet, and according to Nye, scientists have plenty more in the works. Those aliens, should we find them, will be far more life-changing than any conspiracy theory Nye debunks.

Or, you know, the government made him make this video.

[h/t: Digg

Sarah Rense Sarah Rense is the Associate Lifestyle Editor at Esquire, where she covers tech, food, drink, home, and more.

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