One of America's most popular scientists says there is no doubt the universe is teeming with extraterrestrial life as UFO disclosure gets underway. 

Neil deGrasse Tyson, the famed astrophysicist, author and podcast host, spoke to the Daily Mail about the first wave of files released by the Pentagon on May 8 and what secrets could still be coming.

When asked if aliens really exist, Tyson said: 'Anyone who's studied the problem would answer without hesitation that we are not alone.'

'We're made of the most common ingredients in the universe. So life, if anything, was opportunistic, working with the materials that it was given in the early Earth. So, anyone who's studied the problem is ready for the universe to be teeming with life.'

While Tyson, 67, was skeptical that US intelligence officials were preparing to reveal a living alien or the corpse of one, he was certain the world was prepared for the watershed moment when the existence of life on other planets was confirmed.

'Of course, we're ready, because movies have been prepping us ever since War of the Worlds. We've already been told the government has them in the back shed; they just haven't brought them out yet. So, society didn't collapse in the face of that knowledge,' the scientist declared.

With first contact in mind, Tyson noted that humanity would need to take key steps to prove its intelligence to visitors who have the power to travel millions of miles through interstellar space.

That includes remembering a set of key facts he said every child learned in middle school - the Pythagorean theorem and the periodic table of elements.

'Science and math would be universal languages. They would need to know science and math to get here. They don't know English, they don't know Latin, they don't know any of our languages, they don't know our culture, but they'll know science,' Tyson explained.

'It'll be a first step towards endearing them to us, and that we're not just worms crawling beneath their feet.'

The astrophysicist did not believe that face-to-face contact with alien life has actually taken place yet, despite the growing interest in UFO disclosure.

He noted that if aliens had really landed, it would be unlikely that only the government would know, especially with so many cameras and people having access to technology worldwide.

Tyson was also skeptical that aliens would only appear in restricted military airspace, as some UFO whistleblowers have detailed.

'I think a first encounter would not necessarily be with a military pilot. It could just be anybody who's got one of these recording devices. In a first encounter, it could be anybody, anywhere on the Earth.'

However, there was one group of people Tyson said should not receive the honor of making first contact with alien life, flat earthers.

'I'd be scared if the first person the alien found was a flat earther. Then it's like, okay, there's no hope for civilization if they're trying to convince the alien that Earth is flat. The alien would just run home to their home planet and report that there's no sign of intelligent life on Earth. We don't want that to happen.'

Although Tyson has previously stated there has been insufficient evidence to prove that extraterrestrials have visited Earth, his new book, 'Take Me To Your Leader,' is bracing for the possibility of shocking revelations as UFO disclosure continues.

The author described the book, which delves heavily into the realm of alien abductions, as a celebration of how humans have imagined extraterrestrials, while comparing it with realistic possibilities based on physics and biology. It is available for purchase starting May 12.

Tyson added his stance on the question of alien encounters has changed because of high-ranking military, intelligence and government insiders who have come forward with serious claims, including that the military has been reverse-engineering alien craft for decades.

'That ship has sailed, because we had people from deep within the government testifying in front of Congress,' Tyson noted.

However, the astrophysicist noted that he was still taking a scientific approach to the decades-old reports and witness testimony presented in the first tranche of UFO documents released, saying it was not true evidence of alien life.

Referencing alien abduction claims, Tyson said: 'Testimony does not count as evidence. Evidence is evidence. So, if you had a high-res video walking onto an alien ship, and they did an anal probe, that's pretty good evidence.'

'What I want in the disclosure is to disclose the alien. Bring out the alien. If you got one in the back, bring it out,' he added.