The United Nation has appointed Mazlan Othman, a Malaysian scientist, head of Earth's Office for Outer Space Affairs. She's expected to announce her new role at a conference next week. "The continued search for extraterrestrial communication sustains the hope that someday humankind will receive signals from extraterrestrials," Othman said. "When we do, we should have in place a coordinated response that takes into account all the sensitivities related to the subject." First stop for aliens? Meeting her! Othman has a PhD in astrophysics, but more important, she does have a very warm-seeming face, like she's just going to give the aliens a big hug. [NYP]