Aliens passing as humans meet an advanced reptilian race living in a subterranean kingdom. Sounds like the script of a Mork and Mindy vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover episode, but it’s actually the contents of a fantastically speculative new paper about UFOs.
Penned by researchers from Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program and Montana Technological University, the wild study – as yet not peer-reviewed – delves into the slightly insane world of “cryptoterrestrials”, which encompasses a bizarre cast of “intelligent beings concealed in stealth here on Earth (e.g., underground), and/or its near environs (e.g., the moon).” According to the authors, these clandestine Earth-dwellers may in fact be responsible for many of the unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) that are typically attributed to intergalactic visitors.
Jumping down the rabbit hole, the researchers present their first category of potential UFO pilot, which they call “human cryptoterrestrials”. These are described as “a technologically advanced ancient human civilization that was largely destroyed long ago (e.g., by flood), but continued to exist in remnant form.”
Possibly lurking in volcanoes or deep beneath the ocean, these few surviving ancient superhumans were apparently exposed by Albert Einstein’s former assistant Dr Shirley Wright, who claimed that she and her famous boss were invited to inspect the “biological entities” recovered from the supposed Roswell UFO crash in 1947. Speaking in 1993, Wright said the pilots were “just humans, but an advanced form,” and that their species “reside underground on our planet.”
Other subtypes of cryptoterrestrials may include highly-advanced non-human primates or reptiles that store their aircraft beneath mountains. For instance, the Popocatepetl volcano in central Mexico and California’s Mount Shasta are both UFO sighting hotspots, and have therefore been identified as possible residences for these secret yet highly intelligent beings.
Navy personnel reports of Unidentified Submersible Objects (USOs) traveling at incredible speeds, meanwhile, have fuelled speculation that some of these cryptoterrestrials may in fact reside in the ocean. In one such report from 1987, a New Zealand frigate was supposedly followed by a 243-meter-long (800 foot) USO that traveled at a top speed of around 4,800 kilometers per hour (2,980 miles per hour).
The authors also cite wild claims by the highly controversial Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb – who, surprisingly, had nothing to do with the study – that the Moon may in fact be a cryptoterrestrial base, and houses many of these strange creatures and their incredible spacecraft. Finally, the researchers say that the engineers behind most UFOs could be hiding in plain sight, and may just be aliens that have mastered the art of blending in as humans.
Admittedly, this all pretty fanciful stuff, and much of the rationale for these claims comes from sources even more dubious than Loeb – including podcaster Joe Rogan and believers in the sunken realm of Atlantis.
Recognizing the many flaws in their proposals, the authors explain that “although this idea is likely to be regarded sceptically by most scientists, such are the nature of some UAP that we argue this possibility should not be summarily dismissed.” They also admit that they themselves consider the existence of cryptoterrestrials to be “unlikely” – but not impossible.
Based on all the available evidence regarding UFOs, the researchers rate the possibility of cryptoterrestrials actually existing as 10 percent. Most observers will probably see that figure as pretty generous.
The study, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Philosophy and Cosmology, is currently available as a preprint.
