Like millions around the world, I grew up watching The X-Files—the iconic television show that explored UFOs, alien encounters, and unexplained phenomena through the investigations of FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. It was one of my favourite shows, not simply because it was thrilling television, but because it tapped into one of humanity’s oldest and most profound questions: Are we alone in the universe?

Even as a child, that question seemed impossible to ignore. In a universe containing billions of galaxies, with each galaxy itself containing billions of stars—many of them likely surrounded by planetary systems—it always seemed difficult to believe that Earth could be the only cradle of life. The mathematics of probability alone appears to challenge such exceptionalism. Surely, somewhere within this cosmic vastness, other forms of life must exist.

This is what makes the recent release of UFO—or, in official terminology, Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP)—files by the United States Department of Defense such an important and fascinating milestone.

For decades, UFOs have occupied an unusual space between science, speculation, conspiracy theory, and popular culture. Governments have often approached the subject with secrecy, sometimes dismissing public interest while simultaneously conducting classified investigations. This contradiction has only deepened........

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