The mere suggestion by a top government official that “aliens” could explain some UFO activity is the latest example of the government’s striking shift in tone regarding this issue.

This week, the director of the U.S. government’s UFO analysis office stated that there is “evidence” of concerning unidentified flying object activity “in our backyard.” According to physicist Seán Kirkpatrick, who heads the congressionally-mandated All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, this alarming UFO activity can be attributed to one of two extraordinary sources: either a foreign power or “aliens.”

To be sure, the ramifications of either would be significant. But Kirkpatrick’s comments, which come as he is about to retire after a 27-year defense and intelligence-focused career, are more intriguing because he also says that “none” of the hundreds of military UFO reports analyzed by his office recently “have been positively attributed to foreign activities.”

At the same time, Kirkpatrick and senior defense officials have ruled out the possibility that secret U.S. programs or experimental aircraft explain the phenomena.

    • @kromem@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4•1 year ago

      Depends on how time travel works.

      What happens if you think of it more along the lines of Everettian many worlds?

      You can go back in time to a point that’s n moments before your own time and accurately represents the universe at that point in your history, but then as soon as you are there you start splitting off into a new fractalization of timelines.

      Which would also make it effectively impossible to get back to your own time or influence its events.