In this episode of The Curios Cosmos, Derrick Pitts sits down with Leslie Kean, an investigative journalist who's work led to the US government acknowledging the existence of unidentified flying objects! But what does this recognition mean for space science?

Listen as the two discuss the reclassification of UFOs to unidentified aerial/anomalous phenomenon (UAPs), how stigma has prevented even the most credible sightings from being seriously studied, and the important role scientists will play in solving this mystery moving forward.

For listener reference, this interview was recorded in February 2023. Between recording and air date, public government acknowledgment and investigation into UAPs have continued, including further reporting by Leslie and more congressional hearings on the topic.

Links for this episode:

• Learn more about Leslie Kean, and check out her 2010 book exploring UFO/UAPs
• Read the NYT article Leslie helped write, which exposed the Department of Defense's UFO investigation program to the public, and check out the unclassified Navy videos for yourself!
• Look into some civilian-run UFO sighting databases, like the National UFO Reporting Center and the Mutual UFO Network
• Learn more about the Galileo Project at Harvard
• Check out the National Geographic docuseries Leslie produced, UFOs: Investigating the Unknown, which featured Derrick as an expert!