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Nasa releases UFO report after year-long study, says no evidence of aliens - but official admits he believes life is out there

  • The US space agency says it wants to shift the conversation on unidentified anomalous phenomena ‘from sensationalism to science’
  • The panel found no evidence that UAPs had extraterrestrial origin, and Nasa says new techniques, including advanced satellites, will be required to study them

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03:47

Nasa appoints new director for UFO research in response to US congressional report

Nasa appoints new director for UFO research in response to US congressional report

Nasa said on Thursday that the study of UFOs will require new scientific techniques, including advanced satellites as well as a shift in how unidentified flying objects are perceived. The space agency released the findings after a year-long study into UFOs.

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In its 33-page report, an independent team commissioned by Nasa cautioned that the negative perception surrounding UFOs poses an obstacle to collecting data. But officials said Nasa’s involvement should help reduce the stigma around what it calls UAPs, or unidentified anomalous phenomena.

“We want to shift the conversation about UAPs from sensationalism to science,” Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson said. He promised an open and transparent approach.

Officials stressed the panel found no evidence that UAPs had extraterrestrial origin. But Nelson acknowledged with billions of stars in billions of galaxies out there, another Earth could exist.

02:30

Suspected ‘non-human’ bodies displayed at UFO hearing in Mexico

Suspected ‘non-human’ bodies displayed at UFO hearing in Mexico

“If you ask me, do I believe there’s life in a universe that is so vast that it’s hard for me to comprehend how big it is, my personal answer is yes,” Nelson said at a news conference. His own scientists put the likelihood of life on another Earthlike planet at “at least a trillion”.

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When pressed by reporters on whether the US or other governments are hiding aliens or otherworldly spaceships, Nelson said: “Show me the evidence.”

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