ISLAMABAD
\nNASA is set to release on Thursday (today) the findings of a long-awaited study on unexplained flying objects in Earth\u2019s skies.
\nThe US space agency announced last year it was reviewing evidence regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs \u2014 which has replaced the term \u201cUFO\u201d in official parlance.
\nThe subject has long fascinated the public but was shunned by mainstream science.
\nAn independent team of 16 researchers shared their preliminary observations in May, finding that existing data and eyewitness reports are insufficient to draw firm conclusions, while calling for more systematic collection of high-quality data.
\nIt\u2019s unlikely Thursday\u2019s report will change that bottom line \u2014 but it could eventually usher in the start of a new mission for the agency.
\nWhile Nasa\u2019s probes and rovers scour the solar system for any fossils of ancient microbes, and its astronomers look for signs of intelligent civilisations on distant planets, its historic posture has been to \u201cdebunk\u201d sightings on our home planet.
\nThere have been more than 800 \u201cevents\u201d collected over 27 years, of which two to five per cent are thought to be possibly anomalous, the report\u2019s authors said during the May meeting.
\nThese are defined as \u201canything that is not readily understandable by the operator or the sensor,\u201d or \u201csomething that is doing something weird,\u201d said team member Nadia Drake.
\nThe US government has begun taking the issue of UAPs more seriously in recent years, in part due to concerns that they are related to foreign surveillance.
\nNasa\u2019s work, which relies on unclassified material, is separate from a Pentagon investigation, though the two are coordinating on matters of how to apply scientific tools and methods.
\nIn July, a former US intelligence officer made headlines when he told a congressional committee he \u201cabsolutely\u201d believes the government is in possession of unidentified anomalous phenomena \u2014 as well as remains of their alien operators.
\n\u201cMy testimony is based on information I\u2019ve been given by individuals with a longstanding track record of legitimacy and service to this country \u2014 many of whom also shared compelling evidence in the form of photography, official documentation and classified oral testimony,\u201d David Grusch told lawmakers.
\nEarlier this week, the alleged bodies of two \u201cnon-human\u201d beings were presented during a congressional hearing in Mexico, generating a mixture of surprise, disbelief and ridicule on social media.
\nThe purported mummified remains, which had a grayish color and a human-like body form, were brought by Jaime Maussan, a controversial Mexican journalist and researcher who reported finding them in Peru in 2017.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD NASA is set to release on Thursday (today) the findings of a long-awaited study on unexplained flying objects in Earth\u2019s skies. The US space agency announced last year it was reviewing evidence regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs \u2014 which has replaced the term \u201cUFO\u201d in official parlance. The subject has long fascinated the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":356019,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-355999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n