Nasa unveils findings of study into UFOs

Nasa has revealed the findings from its long-awaited report into UFOs – and says there is ‘no reason to conclude existing reports have an extraterrestrial source’.

The study was conducted by its Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Independent Study Team, a group of 16 experts from across science, data, artificial intelligence (AI), space exploration, aerospace safety, media and commercial innovation.

Sharing a selection of videos showing incidents of UAP, including the famous ‘Tic Tac’ footage shown before the US Congress during a hearing in July, the team highlighted the threat to airspace by such unidentified flying objects.

However, quoting Sherlock Holmes, they dashed the hopes of alien hunters everywhere by stating there was no evidence the technology was of extraterrestrial origin.

‘There is an intellectual continuum between hypothesising that faraway extraterrestrial civilisations might produce detectable technologies, and looking for those technologies closer to home,’ the team wrote. 

‘But in the search for life beyond Earth, extraterrestrial life itself must be the hypothesis of last resort – the answer we turn to only after ruling out all other possibilities. As Sherlock Holmes said, “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”

‘To date, in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, there is no conclusive evidence suggesting an extraterrestrial origin for UAP.’

However, the group is not ruling out the existence of extraterrestrial life completely. 

It highlighted Nasa’s support of astrobiologists and those involved in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).

‘These Nasa-supported scientific communities have relevant experience in first determining and then communicating whether observations that might at first appear extraordinary actually justify making extraordinary claims,’ said the group.

‘Many of Nasa’s science missions are, at least in part, focused on answering the question of whether life exists beyond Earth. Those investigations include missions looking for biosignatures, perhaps on Mars or the icy moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn – as well as farther afield, in the ratios of molecules present in exoplanet atmospheres.’

Next year the space agency will launch its Europa Clipper mission, visiting one of Jupiter’s icy moons to search for signs of life. The European Space Agency’s own icy moon mission blasted off earlier this year, flying by Europa, Ganymede and Callisto from 2030.

In its report the group also noted some of its members had received hate mail from colleagues for joining the panel, while others were ‘ridiculed and criticised on social media’.

‘Study team members also noted firsthand knowledge of colleagues who were warned to stay away from research in areas like extraterrestrial technosignatures, which could damage their scientific credibility and promotion potential. 

‘These experiences further confirm the negative stigma associated with studying unusual or unexplained phenomena. Such criticism, either by detractors or by proponents of the extraterrestrial hypothesis, are anathema to the scientific method, which Nasa always has and will continue to promote in an objective and open-minded fashion.’

During a live session to discuss the report, it was announced Nasa has a new director of UAP research – but the agency would not reveal who it is.

The report comes a day after two ‘non-human’ beings were unveiled during a Mexican congressional hearing into UAP.

The move has been widely criticised as a stunt, with Professor Brian Cox commenting: ‘It’s very unlikely that an intelligent species that evolved on another planet would look like us. Secondly, send a sample off to 23andme – let alone the university down the road – and they’ll tell you within 10 minutes.’  

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