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Recently the Pentagon released a report on sightings of unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, in the U.S. UFOs have fascinated Americans for decades. While reports of UFO sightings around the world date back centuries, Americans are more likely than people from other countries to report and publicize their sightings. Listen to learn how various aspects of the culture, including conspiracy theories, help explain America’s special interest in UFOs.
Story Length: 4:07
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March 16, 2022
3:37
Flying drones has become increasingly common. NASA is conducting experiments on Mars with a drone helicopter named Ingenuity. The helicopter may be useful for deeper scientific exploration of previously unseen parts of the planet. Listen to hear about this leap forward in drone technology and to find out how a helicopter is taking the study of Mars to potentially greater heights.
Read MoreNovember 17, 2021
1:34
Black holes are located in the center of nearly all large galaxies, where gravity pulls so strongly that even light can not escape. They are not visible to the naked eye, but astronomers can detect black holes with special telescopes that help them to see how stars close to black holes act differently from other stars. When astronomers recently viewed a galaxy where there was once a black hole, they found that it was missing. Listen to hear what scientists think about the puzzle of the missing black hole.
Read MoreApril 28, 2021
3:43
How dark is outer space? Although the night sky looks black, it actually contains light that comes from stars and galaxies. Scientists were curious how space would look without those sources of light, so they turned to photographs taken by a spacecraft hurtling through space four billion miles away. Listen to learn what researchers discovered about light in space and why one scientist called the possibilities “amazing.”
Read MoreJanuary 15, 2018
4:47
It was recently revealed that the U.S. Pentagon has investigated sightings by the U.S. Military of unidentified flying objects, or UFOs. Through satellites and sensors, the Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program would watch videos from pilots to decipher whether the unknown sightings were from another country or perhaps another planet. The head of the program says that scientific research was used to find out if there was a threat to the U.S. but not all of the phenomena could be explained. Listen to learn how a team of analysts worked with pilots to uncover whether UFOs exist in our skies.
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