Gather ’round, all you truthers, conspiracy theorists, and lizard people, for today is World UFO Day.
On June 2, 1947, a US Air Force surveillance balloon (or was it???) crash-landed near Roswell, New Mexico, unleashing a new era of alien sightings, abductions, and government secrecy. Now, on this hallowed day, believers—perhaps like you—can join together to make your voices heard. The truth is out there.
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World UFO Day is a time for sharing and speculation, and as good an excuse as any to call on your leaders to declassify their extraterrestrial evidence, or “X-Files.” But if you’re just in the mood to get lost in some of the weirdest alien reports out there, look no further, Motherboard’s got you covered.
GIF: Giphy
Why Haven’t We Met Aliens Yet? Because They’ve Evolved Into AI
Transhumanist and 2016 US presidential candidate, Zoltan Istvan, takes the Fermi paradox to the next level in this short essay that offers a new answer to the perennial question: With so many alien civilizations out there, why haven’t we found them, or why haven’t they found us? According to Istvan and the basic rules of physics, a little thing called the singularity might have a whole lot to do with it.
The CIA’s Guide to Taking Pictures of UFOs
The title pretty much sums this one up. Staff writer Jordan Pearson sifted through a trove of documents released by the CIA regarding the agency’s own UFO projects during the 1940s and 1950s. Buried amid other curiosities were detailed instructions for how to take a photo of a UFO for analysis. “Step 1: Have camera set to infinity.”
The Moon-Walking, Alien-Hunting, Psychic Astronaut Who Got Sued By NASA
Motherboard editor Alex Pasternack once again dug up one of science’s strangest oddities, being Edgar Mitchell—the sixth astronaut on the moon, and a connoisseur of consciousness, psychics, and aliens. Included is Mitchell’s insider theory on what really happened that day near Roswell.
Image: Flickr/exoimperator
Alien Hunters Spent the Last Century Looking for the Black Knight Satellite
In 1899, Nikola Tesla heard from aliens. “I have a deep conviction that highly intelligent beings exist on Mars,” Tesla told a reporter. Conspiracy theorists have suggested the scientist received transmissions from a 13,000-year-old alien artifact in orbit around Earth, now known as the Black Knight Satellite. But where is it today?
On the Hunt For Aliens In the Valley of the UFOs
In a small Colorado town called Hooper, there exists a place called the UFO Watchtower. The site is host to an extreme number of extraterrestrial sightings, and just so happens to sit right on top of the “Bermuda Triangle of the West.” Motherboard producer Chris O’Coin visited this strange lookout post to meet the people whose watchful eyes are glued to the skies.
The Argument Against Calling Aliens
We’re now long past the dawn of SETI, and humans are still trying in more ways than one to contact far-out alien civilizations. But what if that’s a profoundly stupid idea? One scientist raises the possibility that broadcasting our location to potentially hyperviolent and superintelligent beings could lead to the end of the human race.
Image: Shutterstock/diversepixel
Russia’s Dyatlov Pass Incident, the Strangest Unsolved Mystery of the Last Century
You’ve probably already heard of this one: Nine skiers mysteriously and gruesomely perish in the middle of the Russian tundra. The exact circumstances of their deaths remain unknown, but trace evidence seems to suggest that something foul—or alien—was afoot. Motherboard editor-in-chief, Derek Mead, explores some of the most likely and sinister theories.
Our Favorite Hypothetical Alien Megastructures
Remember when astronomers hypothesized that a high-tech alien megastructure was possibly orbiting the star KIC 8462852? Well, the hunt for the extraterrestrial race that built it still continues, but while we all wait around for something to happen, here’s a comprehensive list of all the alien objects that might be parked some 1,500 light years away.
The Dominant Life Form in the Cosmos Is Probably Superintelligent Robots
Forget little green men, or anything remotely resembling life on Earth—extraterrestrial life will probably come in the form of robots that outsmart us in every single way. A group of philosophers and astronomers are now suggesting that the dominant lifeforms in the universe are likely artificial. And when we meet them, they’ll be far most sophisticated than humans can understand.
UFO hunters don’t have the best reputation. Over the last several decades, alien-believers have been portrayed as paranoid, conspiracy-loving nutjobs who espouse pseudoscience over the real thing. But now, a group of modern UFO trackers is trying to change that, and of course we had to meet them.
