A US task force is expected to report no evidence that unidentified flying objects were alien spacecraft. But officials also admit they were stumped by some UFO sightings.
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Alien enthusiasts might have to wait longer for evidence: a classified US intelligence report on the existence of alien UFOs seems to be inconclusive. The report, ordered last year, will be submitted to US Congress by the end of June.
According to US media, the report by Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) Task Force said military and intelligence found no evidence that seemingly highly advanced unidentified flying objects sighted by military pilots were alien spacecraft.
Do aliens exist?
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The report examined multiple unexplained sightings from recent years that in some cases have been captured on video. However, it did not rule out the existence of aliens, as it could not explain several aerial sightings by pilots.
The New York Times said the report determined that most of some 120 incidents over the past 20 years had nothing to do with unknown or secret US military or government technology.
The findings are unlikely to settle the speculation over the existence of aliens, a topic that has intrigued many around the world for decades. It has invoked many conspiracy theories, and inspired representation in popular culture.
Top 10 aliens from the big screen
Sometimes friends, often enemies: Aliens have inspired us in many movies. Here are a few of the funny, scary and odd-looking space creatures that filmmakers have put on the screen over the years.
Arguably the most famous alien story of all time, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a film that follows the friendship between E.T. and a young boy named Elliot. It's as unique as it is sad. E.T. can’t stay on earth, so it tries to call home. In the end, the call is answered, and a spaceship takes E.T back home. The film from 1982 was so successful that it was re-released twice with additional scenes.
This wormy fella and its friends are the hilarious companions of the "Men in Black." Though the Neebles only talk nonsense and are coffee addicts, they aren‘t completely lazy aliens. They can be helpful at times, but only if they’ve had their coffee fix, of course. The first "Men in Black" movie was realesed in 1997 with multiple sequels.
Image: Imago Images/Entertainment Pictures
The aliens are back
The second sequel of the "Aliens" series hit cinemas in 1986. Ellen Ripley, the only survivor from the first film, is found several decades later. No one believes her story about the aliens on planet LV-426, until the aliens attack the colony on said planet. Ripley defeats the alien queen so that she and her team can go back to earth. "Aliens" was the first action movie with a female action hero.
The crossover film Alien vs. Predator made its debut in 2004. The two species from separate movies — Alien (1979) and Predator (1987) — fight against humans and each other. That is, until predators and humans find a common goal: elimating the aliens. As "frenemies," they succeed — and kill the alien queen.
Image: picture-alliance/Everett Collection/20 Century Fox
The extraterrestrial next door
The friendly, odd-looking creature, Alf — short for Alien Life Form — has been on tv since 1986. After Alf crashes his UFO into the garage of the Tanner family, they take him in and care for him. Alf‘s favourite activities are watching tv, eating and relaxing. The sitcom ran for four years and was later concluded with a movie.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Super RTL
The third worst poets
Ugly, bad-tempered — but not hateful — bureaucratic and callous. That’s how the "Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams describes the alien species Vogon. And what’s even worse: They are really bad at poetry. The original radio comedy broadcast was later turned into a novel, tv series and film.
"Megamind" is the alien villain in town. Until he gets rid of the superhero, his nemesis, and realizes that he doesn't have a purpose without him. The solution: Create a new superhero. His plan is turned against him when the new superhero turns out to be a supervillain, and Megamind becomes the superhero instead. The DreamWorks film was released in 2010 with an accompanying comic book.
The aliens in Dark Breed have a simple goal: Invade foreign planets and destroy all inhabitants. Astronaut Cutter and his team must fight against these aliens in order to save outer space from more destruction. This alien movie hit theaters in 1996, but reviews weren't quite so stellar.
Image: picture-alliance/United Archives/IFTN
Marsian Invasion
These creepy skeletons with massive brains are creatures of director Tim Burton’s imagination. They come in peace, they say, but the Martians who invade earth in fact want to destroy all life. Fortunately, these aliens have a weakness: loud music. So, instead of killing them with kindness, they're killed with music.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Film Warner
The alien from Area 51
In the film "Paul," the alien of the same name has been kidnapped and held prisoner at the Area 51 military base since 1947. There, he was used for experiments and had to reveal all his alien knowledge. He claims he gave Steven Spielberg the idea for E.T. Two friends, Graeme and Clive, find Paul when he tries to flee Area 51 and help him escape to his home planet.
The interest in UFOs rose even higher in recent years, partly due to videos showing US pilots exclaiming at mysterious flying objects. But there are theories that the objects could be highly confidential, highly advanced military and surveillance technologies from countries like Russia and China.
"We take all incursions into our operating spaces seriously. It could potentially involve safety and or national security concerns," Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby told the media on Friday.
The main report will be unclassified and made public, but an annex will remain classified, said the Times. The Washington Post said the report "will offer no firm conclusions about what the objects... might be."