Tucked in the $2.3 trillion COVID-19 relief package that passed in December was a stipulation initially overlooked by many. As part of the Intelligence Authorization Act, the government was required to publicly release the findings of its investigations of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), commonly referred to as unidentified flying objects (UFOs).

Now that the report is out, folks are paying attention. With headlines like “The Pentagon won’t rule out aliens,” and “Are skies alive with UFOs?” the release has renewed interest in these unusual sightings. 

For Kate Dorsch, the report was eagerly awaited, if unsurprising in how little new information it revealed. Dorsch, a historian of science, completed her dissertation on UFO-sighting investigations carried out during the Cold War and sees in this latest report a continuation of themes that hearken back to an earlier era.

In a conversation with Penn Today, Dorsch explains the motivation behind the new assessment, how certain witnesses of unexplained phenomena are seen as more trustworthy than others, and why she’s neither a cynic nor a true believer in UFOs.

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