What scientists will be looking for as government UFO files are released

Space We asked scientists what they think we'll learn from the government's UFO files. Here's what they said. By Graham Kates, Graham Kates Reporter Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com Read Full Bio Graham Kates, Cara Tabachnick Cara Tabachnick News Editor Cara Tabachnick is a news editor at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at cara.tabachnick@cbsinteractive.com Read Full Bio Cara Tabachnick Updated on: May 8, 2026 / 8:30 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The Pentagon has begun the long-anticipated release of government files related to what it calls "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena" — UFOs or any potential signs of alien life. On Friday, May 8, it started posting documents it said "have long fueled justified speculation," after President Trump called for their release earlier this year.Questions about what the federal government may know about extraterrestrial life in the cosmos — or possibly even here on Earth — have long inspired imaginations, sci-fi literature and blockbuster films, and fueled decades of conspiracy theories.Mr. Trump posted on social media on Feb. 19 that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other agency heads should "begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters."His announcement came after former President Obama told a podcaster who asked about aliens, "They're real, but I haven't seen them." He later clarified that he never saw evidenc...