Frontiers of the Unknown

In a year of unprecedented excitement and serious discourse around Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), it’s clear we’re moving away from speculation and toward serious scientific inquiry. On the heels of the widely watched Congressional hearings in November 2024 (read our top takeaways here), Enigma attended the SOL Foundation’s symposium in San Francisco – a prominent gathering of the leading voices on UAP from government, academia, tech, and the intellectually curious including: 

• Journalist Leslie Kean
• Ryan Graves, fmr Naval Pilot
• Dr. Tim Gallaudet, fmr Rear Admiral 
• Yoshiharu Asakawa (fmr General Secretary of the UAP Caucus, Parliament of Japan)
• Dr. Avi Loeb, theoretical astrophysicist, Harvard University 

Read takeaways from keynote presentations below. 

1/Pilot reports are largely ignored 

Despite growing evidence of unexplained aerial phenomena (UAP), pilot sightings are often dismissed without proper reporting or inquiry. Journalist Leslie Kean recalled that as recently as 2017, “military pilots seeing real physical objects was considered radical” and raised an essential question: “Is anyone in aviation paying attention?” Fast forward to today, and modern UAP sightings continue to occur without serious investigation. 

Panelist Ryan Graves shared two personal stories that despite their anomalous nature, are not widely covered by global media nor investigated by government agencies. 

• South Africa sighting from a commercial airliner: Pilots reported a small black triangle, roughly the size of a TV set, that maneuvered from 100 yards to 500 feet from their aircraft, prompting one pilot to self-administer a drug test due to the proximity and distress from the experience
• Ongoing phenomenon of pilots reporting sightings of orbs flying over restricted training areas. First assumed to be balloons, pilots were shocked to witness these objects outpacing fighter jets. Read more about our orb sightings data here

2/ “Legislation will be a game changer”

Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) sightings have sparked global interest, yet one of the most crucial aspects of this issue remains largely unaddressed—pilot education and the establishment of proper reporting protocols. While the capabilities of modern aircraft can detect and track various objects in the sky, pilots are often shocked and unprepared when encountering UAPs in their flight path, leading to hasty maneuvers and safety issues. 

What’s more concerning is that many pilots are not properly briefed on the ongoing occurrence of UAPs or given the tools to report these encounters effectively. While some military pilots have a standardized process for reporting UAPs, commercial pilots—who make up the majority of those in contact with these phenomena—are left without any formal guidance. Panelists suspect that 75% of pilots have witnessed unknown objects in the sky, yet these sightings often go unreported or are scattered across different agencies. Air traffic control may receive some of these reports, but there's no centralized system to track or investigate them, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has largely remained silent on the issue.

All SOL panelists agreed: This gap in education and reporting needs to be addressed through legislation. Policy measures that require mandatory pilot training on UAPs, along with a clear, standardized reporting procedure, could help collect critical data and ensure these encounters are investigated properly. There was a universal consensus among SOL attendees that if legislation can formalize these processes, we will not only better understand the phenomenon but also ensure the safety of air travel moving forward. The time is now for lawmakers to act—because without a clear framework, proper reporting, and education, the risks in air safety and national security remain high. 

3/Growing presence of Unidentified Submerged Object (USO) sightings 

Oceanographer and retired US Navy Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet spent decades studying the ocean's depths, and emphasized the possibility of UAPs possessing 'transmedium' capabilities—meaning they can seamlessly transition between air, sea, and space. He discussed his own experiences with USOs during his time in the Navy, noting that reports of mysterious objects entering or emerging from bodies of water have been consistent, but remain largely unexplored. These objects demonstrate highly advanced maneuverability, suggesting they could be capable of traveling at high speeds both above and below water, a characteristic that challenges conventional understanding of aerospace and marine technology. 

In a compelling example, Gallaudet spoke about speaking to numerous eyewitness sailors about their sightings, including the famous USS Omaha incident, where radar showed as many as 14 USOs swarming the ship in the Pacific Ocean, and traveling at speeds of more than 160mph. Despite compelling evidence of this phenomenon, policy “remains a dog’s breakfast: unfocused and disorganized,” and despite grassroots efforts on a few isolated sightings cases happening within some government and military agencies, the lack of a centralized, dedicated effort and data aggregation continues to impede scientific progress and discovery of UAP. 

4/ UAP is a global issue but lacks collaboration 

The investigation of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) is not just a US issue. The global nature of these phenomena demands international cooperation and collaboration, which numerous speakers noted is intensely lacking today. Though UAP sightings have been reported by military personnel, commercial pilots, and civilians across the world, many countries continue to approach the subject in isolation, often with limited transparency or coordination. Greater collaboration would not only enhance the pool of data and resources available for study but also foster a more unified and scientific approach to understanding these phenomena. 

Speaker Yoshiharu Asakawa, the former General Secretary of the UAP Caucus in the Parliament of Japan, has been a key advocate for Japan’s involvement in the global conversation surrounding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP). When asked what prompted the country’s recent focus on UAP, he responded, “our culture is heavily shaped by intelligence from broad as well as global media such as the New York Times.”

Asakawa has played a pivotal role in pushing for greater governmental transparency and scientific inquiry into UAPs, recognizing the need for Japan to take an active role in understanding these mysterious occurrences. Under his leadership, the UAP Caucus helped raise awareness within Japan’s political establishment about the importance of addressing UAP reports and their potential implications for national security, aviation safety, and scientific discovery. Asakawa passionately spoke about the need for global cooperation, and that only by sharing information, technology, and expertise, nations could work together to determine the nature, origin, and potential implications of UAPs—ensuring that critical safety and security concerns are addressed while advancing human knowledge in unexplored areas of air, sea, and space.

5/ Breakthroughs in Science 

SOL attendees were excited to hear from keynote speaker Dr. Avi Loeb, Harvard astrophysicist, and one of the leading voices in UAP research. Dr. Loeb, best known for his groundbreaking work on interstellar objects like ‘Oumuamua, has long argued that UAPs should be studied with the same rigor as any other astronomical phenomenon. With his groundbreaking project with Project Galileo, he is working to bring scientific discipline to the investigation of UAPs by deploying state-of-the-art sensors and observational tools to track, document, and analyze these mysterious objects. The project’s goal is to collect high-quality data that can be analyzed in a methodical, transparent way, free from the biases that have often clouded discussions around UAPs in the past. 

Dr. Loeb unveiled his latest update, the building of two additional  observatories to enable scientists to “not just identify the signal but the noise, how big is the signal relative to the noise, and the ratio. This data is needed so no one can dispute the evidence. Our aspiration is we want the highest quality data with the largest data set possible.” He closed his session with a reminder that “It’s not finding the percent level of what’s identifiable. From a scientific perspective, it’s the one in a million event that'll be the most important discovery in our lifetime.” 

Through Project Galileo, Loeb hopes to challenge the stigma surrounding UAP research and bring a new level of credibility to the field. The data gathered by Project Galileo could lead to groundbreaking discoveries, not only about the nature of UAPs but about the broader universe itself. Loeb’s work is helping to shift the conversation away from speculation and toward serious scientific inquiry, and his efforts are likely to lead to new insights that could redefine our understanding of the cosmos. By making UAPs a legitimate subject of scientific study, Project Galileo could open up an entirely new frontier for exploration.

At Enigma, our teams are inspired by the pioneering work of Dr. Loeb, whistleblowers, policy makers, and researchers, and are equally driven by data and science to lead the way. We can’t do it alone, and invite you to join the mission to unravel the greatest mysteries of our time. Join the fastest growing UAP community on our free iOS app (Android coming soon—join the waitlist here).