Aliens, or extraterrestrial life, has been the fascination of humanity for decades. The existence of life, especially intelligent life, outside of Earth, would have significant ramifications philosophically and geo-politically.
Several endeavors exist for searching living beings in outer space. These include searches through analysis of radio waves, as well as missions to Mars.
Some assert that Earth has already been visited by extraterrestrials. There have been sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), also called Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs), around the world for decades. There has been a push by activists to get governments to release their documentation of UFOs.
Aliens feature heavily in popular culture. They have been depicted as non-sentient monsters, intelligent world conquerors, and superheroes. The world’s most recognizable superhero, Superman, is an alien. This has created both fear and fascination with the idea that humanity may not be alone in the universe.
