The press was abuzz with talk of alien activity last week after a paper published in Nature was the first to pinpoint the origin of extraterrestrial radio waves.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, America’s favorite astrophysicist / cosmologist /author / science communicator, has a thing or two to say about jumping to conclusions. Perhaps his single greatest token of advice is this: Just because there is something you don’t understand doesn’t mean the explanation is something extraordinary.

Modern medicine (and cosmology, astrophysics, biology, chemistry…) have not yet solved all the universe’s conundrums. Humanity continues to grapple with life-altering diseases and conditions, and it’s often easy to fixate on a solution which seems to fit, rather than waiting for the entire story to pan out.

For an interesting perspective on acting within the limitations of science, check out Neil deGrasse Tyson in National Geographic’s new video, “Listening for Aliens.”