Everyone Is Talking About 'UAPs' Right Now—Here's What They Are and How They're Different From UFOs
We’ve all heard stories about people seeing unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in the sky. Whether these encounters include pilots coming into close contact with strange aircraft or suburban citizens watching the sky from their backyards, these stories are intriguing and entertaining—and make us wonder if we’re not alone. Shows like Ancient Alien and X-Files fuel the age-old interest in figuring out if there’s life beyond Earth, but how realistic are they?
While we don’t exactly know the answer to that question, we are getting more information about UFOs and other unidentifiable objects from beyond our world. UAPs are the newest term being used, but what does that mean? When it comes to UAPs vs. UFOs, what's the difference?
What Is a UAP?
Unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs, are all types of unidentifiable or unexplainable aerial sights. It’s a relatively new term, so researchers are only just now beginning to adopt it as scientific vernacular. The first recorded use was in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s June 2021 report titled “Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena,” with the acronym's meaning expanding from "aerial" to "anomalous" later on. According to the 2021 report, over 500 UAP sightings have occurred since 2004—with almost 150 occurring within the two years preceding the report.
What Does 'Anomalous' Mean?
According to Merriam-Webster, "anomalous" means "inconsistent with or deviating from what is usual, normal, or expected : IRREGULAR, UNUSUAL."
UAPs vs. UFOs: What's the Difference?
UFO refers to flying objects that aren’t identifiable through conventional means. Usually, these objects are speculated to be “flying saucers” or extraterrestrial aircraft and are usually associated with conspiracy theories and pop culture.
However, UAP came about as a way to divert these sightings from stereotypical associations with UFOs and alien activity. Separating the human from the nonhuman is important as the government, scientists and other professionals that work with UAPs aim to take a more realistic and timely look at what exactly these strange sightings are.
Dan Evans, assistant deputy associate administrator for research, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, has previously said: "NASA believes that the tools of science apply to the study (of) UAP because they allow us to separate fact from fiction. And that’s all part of NASA’s commitment to exploring the unknown, and doing so with the openness, transparency and candor that we’re well accustomed to providing the public."
Why Are UFOs and UAPs in the News Right Now?
UFOs and UAPs have been making headlines since the nineteenth century, with interest peaking in the mid-late 1940s with the “UFO hysteria” in the pacific northwest and continuing to today. A recent whistleblower, David Grusch, a former Air Force and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency intelligence officer, told members of the House he suspected that agencies aren’t telling Congress everything they know about UAPs.
According to CBS News, Grucsh worked with various Pentagon task forces until early 2023, when he “accused the military of misappropriating funds to shield these [UAP investigative] operations from congressional oversight.” He also reported interviewing people who knew of “aircraft with 'nonhuman' origins.”
Spokespeople from Grusch’s former organization are currently speaking out in opposition to these claims. Congressional hearings are presently underway, with multiple congresspeople speaking in hopes of legislation to regulate the dissemination of future UAP/UFO information. You can watch the full hearing on House.gov.
Whistleblowers like Grusch pop up on our news feed from time to time, but what they say is often, unfortunately, dismissed as hearsay or attention-seeking behavior. As the world navigates the difference between fact and fiction for this debate, remember that neither the term UFO nor UAP implies that the unidentified object is of alien origin; it only means that we don’t know what it is yet. However, until we know the truth for sure, nothing is certain.
For now, we can only wait for future reports to tell us more about UAPs, UFOs or anything else that’s out of this world.
Next: Fact or Fiction? 16 of the Most Chilling UFO Sightings Ever Reported Throughout History
