One small step: world's first welcome mat for aliens unveiled in Australia

If there is extraterrestrial life out there, why haven't we found any yet? Perhaps it's because we never invited them in

The planet's first cosmic welcome mat - here to welcome extraterrestrial life to the Adelaide Convention Centre and the 68th International Astronautical Conference - seems comically small and slightly askew.

It's not that the mat itself is small: it's standard doormat size, perhaps a bit larger. But conference venue entrances are built to compensate for masses of foot traffic, and it's here that the mat finds itself: between the oversized doors and the oversized floor sticker covered in sponsor branding, welcoming delegates to the conference.