Exploring answers from psychology to air traffic Are we closer to UFOs than ever?

BBC carries an article about new series of the Paranormal about UFO sightings, Caliber.Az reprints the article.

In the latest series of BBC's Paranormal, focusing on alleged UFO sightings, an aerospace expert suggests that today's accessible, modern technology offers us a better chance than ever to understand what occurs in the skies above.

One rainy day in February 1977, pupils from Broad Haven Primary School in Pembrokeshire reported witnessing an unidentified flying object (UFO).

David Davies, then 10 years old, recalls classmates repeatedly informing the headmaster about unusual events throughout the day.

The young boy was convinced there had to be a rational explanation for what had been observed. "I was determined to go out there and completely debunk their claims," David explains. However, upon investigating, he describes encountering a "silver, cigar-shaped object" approximately the size of a bus, featuring a domed upper section and a "red pulsating glow" on top. "I felt an intense urge to flee," David recalls of the sighting, which lasted around 10 seconds.

The latest series of the BBC's Paranormal delves into this event in southwest Wales. Host Sian Eleri explores alleged UFO sightings from the late 1970s and early 1980s across four episodes. This comes at a time when discussions about extraterrestrial life have once again captured public interest. Last year, the US Congress held a significant panel on the topic, mysterious monoliths have continued to appear globally, including in the UK, and social media is abuzz with viral trends surrounding "alien bodies." On platforms like TikTok, there are over a million posts under the hashtag "UFO."

And one aerospace expert tells the BBC that in 2024, thanks to everyone having a phone in their pocket and many people using apps to follow air traffic, we are in "a much stronger position to be able to track what's known and what's unknown".

So is there a simple explanation for why we see UFOs? And should they be investigated?

'A lot of UFO hunting'

UFOs have captivated our interest for decades, starting with the reported discovery of supposed extraterrestrial wreckage in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947, followed by the release of the film "The Flying Saucer" just three years later, and the intensifying Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 1950s. These accounts of alien encounters have continued to influence popular culture over the years, from Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-winning "E.T." in 1982, to the debut of "The X Files" television series in 1993, and more recent contributions like Jordan Peele's 2022 movie "Nope," all contributing to our enduring fascination with the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

Dr. Ciaran O'Keeffe, head of the School of Human and Social Sciences at Buckinghamshire New University, noted a significant surge in interest in UFO sightings during the 1980s, leading to widespread efforts to search for UFOs.

Reported sightings were covered by media around the world - and the alleged sighting at Broad Haven Primary School was picked up by publications as far as New Zealand.

The Broad Haven incident was one of a wave of sightings in the area in 1977 - dubbed the Dyfed Triangle. In the past, a number of theories have been put forward to explain them, including the work of a "local prankster".

While sightings like the one in Broad Haven captured mass attention, Dr O'Keeffe says there may be plausible explanations.

"The key fundamental psychological explanation for what's going on is around eyewitness testimony," says Dr O'Keeffe, who also consults on the BBC's Uncanny, adding that eyewitness testimony can be prone to errors.

"The nature of the interviewing of an eyewitness can distort the memory of the event significantly," he adds, especially if the questioning of a witness is poor. For example, leading questions and exposure to media coverage of an event can be distorting factors.

However, the UFO sighting at Broad Haven Primary School was not just one eyewitness, it was a group of pupils. Here, Dr O'Keeffe explains the idea of "contagion" and group conformity could be behind a mass UFO sighting.

"Contagion is this idea that thoughts, feelings and behaviours can spread amongst a group of people," Dr O'Keeffe says.

However, David feels he can "rule out" these psychological explanations for the 1977 sighting after the children reportedly drew near identical images of the UFO they had seen.

Before the incident, David adds, he did not have a "big interest in Sci-Fi". But in the years that followed, he would spend thousands of pounds on books and research materials to understand what happened.