Looking up into the night sky and wondering whether or not we are alone in this universe is a fundamental part of being human. We have confirmed that our pale blue dot is just a speck in space, and for many, it's only a matter of time before we confirm the existence of extraterrestrial - and most significantly - intelligent life.

Now, in what sounds like something straight of the realms of science fiction, a 'floating city' has appeared the sky for the second time in two years. And perhaps even more extraordinarily, there is an explanation for it.

The incident first took place in the Chinese city of Jiangxi in 2015.

Check out the mesmerising footage in the video below:

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For those present and eagle-eyed enough to notice, there appeared to be a floating city in the sky, which, without an explanation, could at first appear to be pretty solid proof of extraterrestrial life.

Unsurprisingly, this was the conclusion made by many of those who saw it, with some conspiracy theorists even suggesting that it was Blue Beam Project by NASA, UniLad reports.

What is the Blue Beam Project? I hear you ask. This is how it's defined by RationalWiki:

"Project Blue Beam is a conspiracy theory that claims that NASA is attempting to implement a New Age religion with the Antichrist at its head and start a New World Order, via a technologically-simulated Second Coming."

In short, if this was true, the city in the video above would be technologically simulated to convince people of a new higher power, causing them to abandon any existing religious beliefs in favor of a NASA super-religion.

But to the dismay of these conspiracy theorists, there was a completely rational explanation: 

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It's a phenomenon known as Fata Morgana, which, in layman's terms, is a mirage (an optical illusion created when rays of light pass through air of different temperatures), which is why these phenomena happen in extreme weather.

This is the second time a 'floating city' in the sky after a heavy hailstorm in 2017:  

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The incident above also took place in China; this time in the city of Foshan. However, this incident was reported by the Daily Mail to not be an example of Fata Morgana.

Instead, the deputy director of Yueyang Meteorological Bureau, Li Dongyang, said that what was filmed in the sky were very much real buildings, but they looked like they were floating because of radiation fog.

Better luck next time Ufologists and conspiracy theorists!

Another day, another insane conspiracy theory, eh? They may drive us crazy, but it wouldn't be the internet as we know and love it unless one person or another was throwing around some crazy new hypothesis, right?

This week, fresh claims centre around a mysterious red X that appeared on Google Earth and spiked suspicion from conspiracy theorist camps that a rogue Google employee may be trying to expose an important secret to the world.

Speculation began when YouTube channel Conspiracy Depot posted a short video showing footage from Google Earth from Thursday 8 March. In the video, when the user hovers over Antarctica, a big red cross pointing to a random location in the middle of the continent appears. Reportedly, no reason is given for the red cross, leading the YouTuber to speculate what exactly it could mean.

Words accompanying the video read: "Looking through Google Earth tonight when I noticed a huge red X pointing to an area in Antarctica. When you zoom in, it appears to be pointing directly to a particular point in Antarctica. Is it a glitch? Or is somebody at Google showing 'X marks the spot'?"

The cross only appears when a user enables the weather feature on Google Earth. The weather feature isn't yet available on the online version of the tool, making it harder for others to check the legitimacy of the video. However, that didn't stop people on the internet were discussing theories, broaching everything from the spot in the Antartica being the location of buried treasure, the site of a UFO landing and the entry to hollow earth.

However, one YouTuber had a more logical theory for all of the conspiracy theorists out there. Andrew Woodhead wrote in a comment: "I'm guessing it's a marker for an issue in the software that needs addressing and has gone out to the live environment. Like a comment in the code saying 'fix this bit'. Completely plausible and logical."

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This certainly isn't the first time that Google Earth has been caught up in conspiracy theorist whisperings. Just days ago, alien hunters claimed to discover evidence of a UFO in Antarctica, with a video showing an estimated 160-foot long object on a glacier in South Georgia quickly going viral.

The baffling image showed lots of disturbed ice on the side of a glacier near Mount Paget, a 9,629-foot-tall (2,935 meters) prominence on the British-controlled island far to the south of Argentina. This led YouTube channel SecureTeam10 to claim that it showed the remains of an extraterrestrial craft that had slammed into the side of a mountain and skidded a lengthy distance across the ice.

Nonetheless, others dismissed the far-fetched hypothesis, claiming that the ariel photography simply showed a landslide or ice avalanche.

So, are the conspiracy theorists right? Does Google Earth have something to hide? Or should we listen to the voices of reason who offer a logical explanation for everything? It's up to you to make your own mind up. Although, one thing we do know for certain is that people on the internet will continue to question anything and everything.

A NASA scientist has weighed in on the debate of whether aliens are real, and it seems like she's pretty convinced that they are.

Most of us will have pondered whether or not we are alone in the universe and as Arthur C. Clarke said - both are equally terrifying.

That being said, that thought has paved the way for some amazing movies, although a lot of them involve the aliens being not so friendly.

While the rest of us stew over UFOs, a prominent NASA scientist has boldly declared that alien life "absolutely" exists.

Dr. Michelle Thaller recently addressed a captivated audience at an exhibition in New York, where she delved into the tantalizing possibilities of extraterrestrial life.

Dr. Thaller's perspective challenges conventional expectations by suggesting that the search might be closer to home than we realize.

"I definitely think we'll find life on another planet," Dr. Thaller proclaimed confidently to The Sun. "I think that in our own solar system, we’re quite close to it, but once again we don’t have that 100 percent thing."

Dr. Thaller pointed to Mars as a particularly compelling candidate, citing intriguing chemical patterns that, if found on Earth, would likely be attributed to life.

"On Mars, we see chemistry that on Earth if it were here we would say is due to life," she explained. However, she acknowledged the need for caution: "But the question is, how well do we understand Mars and are we being fooled by something?"

Still, Dr. Thaller emphasized that other planets within our galactic neighborhood should not be hastily ruled out. Surprisingly, Venus – a planet enshrouded in a suffocating atmosphere that has thwarted past exploration attempts – is emerging as an intriguing prospect.

She expressed astonishment at the prospect: "I never expected Venus." She went on to elaborate: "Venus is now one where we see something in the atmosphere that looks very much like it could be produced by bacteria.

"We see possible signs of life in the atmosphere of Venus, and possibly underneath the ice in the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn."

She proposed the idea that our solar system might teem with microbial life, underscoring the need for definitive confirmation: "We just have to get that 100 percent certainty to say that we found it and we don’t have that yet."

Recent discoveries have further fueled speculation about the potential for life beyond Earth. Saturn's moon revealed essential elements required for life, yet scientists remain cautiously circumspect before making any definitive proclamations.

"That’s the thing, we’re waiting until there’s nothing else it could possibly be because can you imagine the kind of trouble we’d get in?", Dr. Thaller noted.

Maintaining a measured approach, she added: "We don’t have absolute proof yet. Do I think there’s life out there? Absolutely."

Maybe the aliens will make themselves known to us soon...

Featured image credit: David Wall/Getty

Do aliens really exist? This week, the internet was set ablaze when Jaime Maussan, a Mexican journalist and self-described UFO enthusiast, made sensational claims during a hearing on unidentified flying objects in Mexico's congressional chambers.

The spectacle involved the unveiling of two caskets that held tiny, human-shaped figures which Maussan claims to be 800- and 1,700-year-old "non-human" beings.

Jonti Horner, an astrobiologist at the University of Southern Queensland, reacted skeptically, stating via ABC.net.au, "I tend to think if it looks too good to be true, it almost certainly is."

Regardless of experts' skepticism, these purported extraterrestrial specimens have caught the attention of news outlets worldwide. Even 20th Century Studios, the giant behind blockbuster franchises like Alien and Star Wars, chimed in.

According to Maussan, these 1,000-year-old "alien" bodies were discovered in algae mines in Cusco, Peru, back in 2017.

However, skeptics have called into question the authenticity of his presentation, with Navy Lt Ryan Graves writing on X: "After the U.S. Congressional UFO hearing, I accepted an invitation to testify before the Mexican Congress hoping to keep up the momentum of government interest in pilot experiences with UAP.

"Unfortunately, yesterday's demonstration was a huge step backwards for this issue. My testimony centered on sharing my experience and the UAP reports I hear from commercial and military aircrew through ASA's witness program.

"I will continue to raise awareness of UAP as an urgent matter of aerospace safety, national security, and science, but I am deeply disappointed by this unsubstantiated stunt."

During the hearing, Jose de Jesus Zalce Benitez, director of the Scientific Institute for Health of the Mexican navy, stated, "I can affirm that these bodies have no relation to human beings."

However, a definitive confirmation that they're aliens is lacking. The National Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry with Accelerators at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (NAUM) conducted an array of tests including DNA analysis and 3D X-rays.

Professor Fierro of NAUM pointed out that carbon-14 dating, used to determine the specimens' age, would be ineffective if the creatures are extraterrestrial. Furthermore, he commented on the logistic improbability of transporting an alien from Peru to Mexico through customs.

Due to intense media scrutiny, NAUM released a statement saying they only performed carbon dating on the samples provided and do not make conclusions about the origins of these specimens.

During the hearing, it was mentioned that 30% of the DNA in the samples is unknown and one body has "eggs" inside, as evidenced by X-rays. However, the data has not been publicly released for independent analysis.

It's not Maussan's first rodeo. In 2015, he claimed to have discovered a mummified alien body, which according to fact-checking website Snopes, was proven false. Professor Fierro humorously noted, "He [Maussan] has told me many times that people from other worlds never visit me because I don't believe they exist."

Interestingly, while the world fixates on human-like alien forms, we forget that the most dominant form of life on our planet is not human but microorganisms. This adds another layer of complexity to the conversation about extraterrestrial life, hinting that aliens, if they exist, could be much less advanced than popularly imagined.

The claims have certainly ignited imaginations and debates across social media platforms, scientific communities, and pop culture. However, definitive evidence is what the world is eagerly waiting for. An independent analysis of the results would go a long way in settling the arguments about what these "alien" bodies truly are.

So, while the narrative of three-fingered, slender grey bodies with bulbous heads captivates the world, experts advise caution. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and for now, the jury is still out.

Featured image credit: Anadolu Agency / Getty