From flying boats to secret Soviet weapons to alien visitors – a brief cultural history of UFOs

The history of UFOs weaves together public fascination, government secrecy and cultural phenomena. Recent news and shifts in the government's stance on UFOs are giving new life to the mystery.

Greg Eghigian, Professor of History, Penn State • conversation
July 8, 2021 • ~9 min

US intelligence report on UFOs: No aliens, but government transparency and desire for better data might bring science to the UFO world

A new nine-page report, requested by Congress, doesn't say what the 144 UFO sightings from 2004 to 2021 are, but does say that the government wants to learn more.

Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona • conversation
June 30, 2021 • ~9 min

Pentagon UFO report: No aliens, but government transparency and desire for better data might bring science to the UFO world

In 2020, Congress ordered the Pentagon to produce a report on UFOs. The nine-page report doesn't say what the 144 sightings from 2004 to 2021 are, but does say that the government wants to learn more.

Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona • conversation
June 30, 2021 • ~9 min

UFOs: how to calculate the odds that an alien spaceship has been spotted

One in a million or one in ten? Mathematics can help us work out the odds of whether recent sightings of UFOs are really alien spaceships.

Anders Sandberg, James Martin Research Fellow, Future of Humanity Institute & Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford • conversation
June 7, 2021 • ~7 min

Massive flare seen on the closest star to the solar system: What it means for chances of alien neighbors

Astronomers just measured the largest flare ever from Proxima Centauri, humanity's closest neighboring star. These flares could be bad news for life trying to develop on a planet orbiting the star.

R. O. Parke Loyd, Post-Doctoral Researcher in Astrophysics, Arizona State University • conversation
May 3, 2021 • ~6 min

Bringing Mars rocks back to Earth – Perseverance Rover lands on Feb. 18, a lead scientist explains the tech and goals

NASA's Mars 2020 mission arrives at the red planet on Feb. 18. On the rocket is the Perseverance Rover. The rover's goal is to collect rock and soil samples to be brought back to Earth in the future.

Jim Bell, Professor of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University • conversation
Feb. 4, 2021 • ~8 min

Curious Kids: We have been trying to contact aliens – but do they want to contact us?

Aliens might want to contact us for the same reasons we are looking for them.

Jacco van Loon, Astrophysicist and Director of Keele Observatory, Keele University • conversation
Feb. 3, 2021 • ~5 min

I'm an astronomer and I think aliens may be out there – but UFO sightings aren't persuasive

Scientists are not convinced by the current evidence of UFOs. That doesn't mean that they don't exist. But have Americans' belief in UFOs gone from science to a new religion?

Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona • conversation
Dec. 4, 2020 • ~7 min

How technology can combat the rising tide of fake science

The internet has allowed pseudoscience to flourish. Artificial intelligence could help steer people away from the bad information.

Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona • conversation
March 9, 2020 • ~8 min

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