UFO hunters have been watching the skies in growing numbers since the Roswell incident in 1947, when rumors spread that a crash site in New Mexico — reported to be that of a U.S. Army air balloon — was, in fact, that of an extraterrestrial aircraft (via History).
The search for life beyond Earth has long inspired all and some — and eyerolls in others. But in recent years, new reporting has made it clear that there really have been hard-to-explain encounters between humans and something that may be operating technology that seems straight out of science fiction. One scientist who’s taking the search seriously is Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, who joined GBH’s All Things Considered Friday. He’s the leader of the new Galileo Project, which will be looking into space for possible evidence of extraterrestrial civilization. What follows is a lightly edited transcript.
The military is apparently overwhelmed by reports of sightings from both the military and civilians
