UFOs As Tech Markers

This month, China has experienced two major UFO sightings, a real rarity for the Chinese. It's also true, of course, that the Chinese media has been and still is controlled by the government, so UFO incidents may not have been reported earlier. Both of the recent sightings were classic, simple "lights in the sky." That leaves open a range of explanations. China's industrial development has brought badly polluted air along with it. Polluted air can do strange things. A major dust storm in the area earlier this year may also has left the atmosphere in a funky state.

Chinese people may also be more aware of the sky because of their developing space program. China is only the third nation to launch humans into space, with both such flights, so far, coming this decade. In the U. S., the peak period for UFO sightings was 1965-75, coincident with Gemini, Apollo, and manned trips to the Moon. Many UFOs were reported across the old Soviet Union, as well. In fact, a Soviet commission jointly chaired by the Academy of Science and the military concluded some UFOs were extraterrestrial in origin. India has had five major UFO sightings recently, and the Indian space program is beginning to have great success.

The Soviet conclusion aside, could increased UFO sightings accompany a nation's technological maturation-- either as new industries produce new aerial phenomena or as people become more aware of new possibilities? It's an interesting question, but it does not, at first blush, address the totality of UFO phenomena. UFOs have been reported around the world, including in poor, rural areas seemingly unconnected to technological advance. More elaborate stories including alien beings and abduction of humans are also widespread. Perhaps such stories can be seen as expressing a distrust of technology, but more work is necessary to produce a complete, coherent, compelling explanation.