UFOs and Extraterrestrials

UFOs, or Unidentified Flying Objects, and extraterrestrials are perennial favorites in science fiction, but to date there have been no confirmed encounters on Earth. Still, strange sights in the night sky have been attributed to UFOs or aliens over the decades, most famously in Roswell, New Mexico, where many believers claim an alien craft crashed on a farm in 1947. In 2017, the existence of a secret U.S. government program that tracked "UFO" sightings by military pilots, which shut down in 2012, was brought to light in a New York Times report.

Related Topics: Alien Planets, Incredible Space Tech, Multiverse, Interstellar Travel

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Alien life may not be carbon-based, new study suggests

By Charles Q. Choi published

Self-sustaining chemical reactions that could support biology radically different from life as we know it might exist on many different planets, a new study finds.

three people stand in the forest at night.

Watch the trailer for new UFO conspiracy flick 'Monsters of California' from Blink-182's Tom DeLonge (video)

By Jeff Spry published

Screen Media Films has released a new trailer for Tom DeLonge's UFO conspiracy film 'Monsters of California.'

a yellow tube with fins underwater

Next stop, Europa? Nano subs to get test beneath Antarctic ice in 2026

By Andrew Jones published

A European collaboration aims to break through some of the technological barriers to the exploration of icy moons like Jupiter's Europa, using Antarctica as a proving ground.

a silver balloon rises into a blue sky

NASA appoints new head of UFO research

By Brett Tingley published

NASA has named a new director of UFO research who will oversee the agency's studies into UAP, or unidentified anomalous phenomena.

a clay model of an alien

Alien mummies in Mexico? NASA's UFO study team says don't bet on it

By Brett Tingley published

Lawmakers in Mexico heard testimony this week about the presence of alien life on Earth that included two "corpses of extraterrestrials." NASA's UAP study team isn't so sure.

U.S. Navy videos of alleged UFO sightings were previously available but had not been officially declassified.

NASA UFO report finds no evidence of 'extraterrestrial origin' for UAP sightings

By Brett Tingley published

"But we don't know what these UAP are," NASA chief says. The agency is appointing a new UAP research director.

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NASA's UFO study team to announce results Sept. 14. Here's how to watch live.

By Brett Tingley published

NASA's independent UAP study team will present its initial findings during a briefing on Thursday (Sept. 14). Here's how to watch it live.

a seal reading "AARO" above the Pentagon

Pentagon UFO office unveils official website for US government personnel to report sightings

By Brett Tingley published

The Pentagon's official office for addressing UFOs has a new website where U.S. government and military personnel can report their own sightings.

a man in a black suit and red tie points to himself while looking angry

'I get the UFO question?' New Jersey's Chris Christie promises honesty on aliens in 1st Republican presidential debate

By Jeff Spry published

Chris Christie was asked about UFOs during the 1st Republican Presidential Primary Debate held on Aug. 23, 2023.

An array of radio telescopes pointing into the night sky with the milky way behind

First contact with aliens could end in colonization and genocide if we don't learn from history

By David Delgado Shorter, Kim TallBear, William Lembert published

How humanity responds to the first contact with intelligent alien life could determine the very fate of our species. Here's what we can learn from history.

a man in a plaid shirt looks hot and sweaty in a news studio

Watch William Shatner call the U.S. government's UFO hearings 'ridiculous' (video)

By Jeff Spry published

William Shatner speaks his mind about the government's recent UFO hearings on Capitol Hill in a recent interview, calling them "ridiculous."

An orange/yellow lit curve of the earth is bordered by a bright atmospheric layer that turns to blue and fades to black.

What is the difference between science and pseudoscience?

By Paul Sutter published

Pseudoscience is a practice that, from the outside, looks like science, but upon closer inspection, is revealed to be nothing but. And what makes a practice look like science?

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UFO whistleblower tells Congress the US government is hiding evidence of 'non-human intelligence'

By Brett Tingley published

During a congressional hearing on Wednesday (July 26), military witnesses and members of Congress demanded more transparency from the U.S. government when it comes to UFOs.

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The US government is holding a historic UFO hearing today. Here's how to watch

By Brett Tingley last updated

The U.S. House of Representatives will hear from several witnesses who will offer accounts of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) in order to assess government transparency surrounding the issue.

the us capitol building at night

The US Congress is holding UFO hearings today. What might we learn?

By Leonard David last updated

The chorus of voices calling for the U.S. government to spill the beans on possible alien visitation of Earth is louder than ever. But are we ready for such a revelation?

jupiter's icy moon europa, a dirty-white object with criss-crossing dark lines on its surface, is seen against the blackness of space

Good news for the alien life hunt: Buried oceans may be common on icy exoplanets

By Robert Lea published

Finding liquid water on exoplanets is 100 times more probable than previously thought, boosting the odds of alien life significantly, a new study suggests.

NASA's Perseverance rover is looking for traces of past life on the surface of Mars.

Viral YouTube video explains NASA's search for alien life

By Robert Lea published

A new viral video by a NASA astrobiologist explains the space agency's efforts to find out whether we are alone in the universe.

An illustration of a metallic, orblike alien craft blasting twin beams of blue light into space

Repeated signals from the center of the Milky Way could be aliens saying hello, new study claims

By Stephanie Pappas published

A new search for extraterrestrial life has scientists looking inward — toward the center of our galaxy.

a man in a blue flight jacket stands in front of a map of Earth

UFOs worth investigating despite lack of 'real evidence,' former astronaut Scott Kelly says

By Brett Tingley published

Four-time astronaut Scott Kelly spoke with Space.com about UFOs and why air and space are so 'prone to optical illusions' that lead to reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena.

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UFOs will remain mysterious without better data, NASA study team says

By Brett Tingley last updated

During the opening remarks in today's meeting of NASA's UAP study team, members stressed that the biggest roadblock standing between us and understanding unidentified phenomena is a lack of data.