WITH countless claimed sightings worldwide over the years, it isn’t difficult to believe that we are not alone in the universe.
Whether you believe it or not, there is no denying that unidentified flying objects (UFO) always spark interesting discussions – like how they are no longer called UFOs.
Verdict:
True
Recently, governments, official organisations and space experts are using the acronym UAP, which stands for "unidentified aerial phenomena" or "unidentified anomalous phenomena" to cover weird stuff seen in the ocean or space.
But why the change?
Some experts feel that the way they are portrayed in movies and books for decades, UFOs make people think of science fiction and not scientific study.
UAPs can be anything from an odd sighting in the sky to aircraft being used in the wrong way.
According to Merriam-Webster, "UFO" is what linguists call "skunked".
This is when the use of a word becomes problematic – either because it is likely to offend or because it has lost its clarity of meaning.
"UFO" is skunked because people tend to equate the term with alien spacecraft, space invaders and so on, rather than an unidentified flying object.
"UFO has been skunked not because it offends, but because it now seems a little... goofy," it said.
Basically, researchers are too focused on the possibility of little green men in flying saucers.
They are more concerned about identifying what these objects are, who owns them, how they navigate and why they are flying near the areas they were spotted.
UAP, like what UFO is supposed to mean, does not necessarily imply a connection to aliens from beyond our planet.
A Pentagon UAP probe found no evidence of extraterrestrials or government cover-ups of extraterrestrial technology or contact.
Still, the report noted many UAP sightings remain unidentified.
So will UAP replace UFO from now on? Who knows. But we do know that the truth is out there.
https://www.merriam-webster.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/
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