Israeli-American astrophysicist Prof. Avi Loeb has been asked to form and head a new scientific advisory council on UAP, the U.S. term for unidentified anomalous phenomena, formerly called UFOs. The council, announced by the Disclosure Foundation, is intended to help American authorities examine the cases with stricter scientific methods, especially better data collection and analysis. The initiative, according to the announcement, was coordinated with the White House, AARO, ODNI, the FBI and other intelligence bodies.
Loeb, a theoretical physicist and astrophysicist at Harvard, said the government lacks top-tier scientists and that his team can help it understand what is being seen. He told the New York Post that if existing data are insufficient, scientists should explain what information needs to be gathered in the future. He has long argued that the debate over unusual aerial phenomena is stuck between conspiracy thinking and dismissive skepticism, and he sees the new council as a practical middle path.
The panel is not meant to declare that aliens have arrived. Its goal is to bring method into a discussion often driven by blurry videos and speculation. Members will include experts from data science, artificial intelligence, scientific instrumentation, biology, oceanography, anthropology and psychology.
The article cites an October 2023 incident near Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado, where law enforcement officers reported unusual activity for two days, including a large orange sphere that appeared to release smaller red spheres. About 40% of the observations in that case remain unexplained. Loeb suggested a more earthly explanation, possibly drones that can deploy smaller drones.
Loeb’s selection is notable because he is both a respected Harvard scholar and a controversial figure. He was born in Israel, earned three degrees there, led Harvard’s astronomy department longer than anyone else, and wrote the bestselling book “Extraterrestrial,” which argued that humanity may already have seen evidence of non-terrestrial technology. He gained wide attention for his claims about the interstellar object ‘Oumuamua and later about 3I/ATLAS, which he said might also be technological. The council will also include both advocates and skeptics, among them Carol Cleland, Richard Cloete, Omer Eldadi, retired Admiral Tim Gallaudet, Gary Nolan, Michael Shermer and Matthew Szydagis.
