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

1. It could be entry debris, like the heat shield or other parts from a Mars rover entering the atmosphere. This photograph could have been taken by a Rover of its own parts, that had split off from it just moments earlier.
2. It could be an alien spacecraft. Yep, just a random little cruiser touched down with some aliens piloting it. But where are the aliens, then? And how could such a small vehicle cross the galaxy? How much fuel could it hold? Does it really look like it could cross light years? I don't see it.
3. It could be a NASA vehicle we don't know about yet, some highly advanced cruiser space car that we'll all use one day if we live on Mars inside a giant dome.

The Pentagon has answered a question about whether aliens have visited Earth...

Alien life is something that most of us are interested in, and while we aren't actively hunting them down, it'll be cool to find out once and for all.

As Arthur C. Clarke famously said: "Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."

Movies have shown us the disasters that would happen if extra-terrestrial life ever found its way to Earth - but what if they're already here?

Many suspect the government of covering things up, but the Pentagon has finally given a definitive answer.

The statement was delivered by Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder, who fielded a variety of questions during Thursday's press conference.

Topics ranged from the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to the use of B-2 bombers in precision strikes against Houthi military sites in Yemen, and the involvement of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.

Amid the intense news cycle, one reporter took the opportunity to ask about a subject that continues to fascinate many - UFOs and aliens, per News.com.au.

Jeff Schogol of Task & Purpose, a military-focused news outlet, posed the question during the press briefing.

"Given the news cycle, you could announce anything about aliens or extraterrestrial life, and no one would care," Schogol remarked. "So … I’m just going to take the shot. What do you got on UFOs, aliens, et cetera?"

Responding with a touch of humor, Ryder said: “The truth is out there, Jeff, and the truth is, we have no evidence to indicate extraterrestrial life has visited the planet.”

Boring.

This message mirrors previous statements made by the Department of Defense (DoD), which has repeatedly emphasized that there is no conclusive evidence linking unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) to extraterrestrial origins.

This stance follows the DoD’s increased efforts to investigate such phenomena.

But if you refuse to believe the Pentagon and want something a bit more interesting, how about some alleged aliens that were found in South America?

The alleged extraterrestrial bodies, reportedly recovered from Cusco, Peru, were presented by UFO researcher Jaime Maussan in transparent cases.

Since their unveiling, they have sparked widespread curiosity due to their unusual appearance and supposed otherworldly characteristics.

Carbon dating conducted by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) has suggested that these remains date back approximately 1,000 years, adding an ancient element to the mystery.

José Zalce Benitez, director of the Health Sciences Research Institute, stated that further research has confirmed the bodies are composed of a single skeleton each, with no signs of human-made objects being part of their construction.

Benitez also revealed that one of the bodies appeared to be carrying an embryo.

"One of the specimens was alive, was intact, was biological, and was in gestation," he said, hinting at the possibility that the entities could have been harboring eggs, as reported by The New York Post.

He concluded that these remains have "no relation to human beings."

See, isn't that more fun?

Featured image credit: David Wall/Getty