If you're an Area 51 junkie or a conspiracy connoisseur, then you're probably going to be disappointed when I tell you NASA isn't planning on dropping any extraterrestrial life news anytime soon.
Last week, a group called "Anonymous" uploaded a video on YouTube claiming that NASA is preparing to announce the discovery of life outside of Earth. The video, which was uploaded on June 20, has reached more than two million viewers since its debut.
The ridiculous YouTube clip eventually became so popular, that it gained the attention of NASA science chief Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, who responded to the claims on Tuesday, June 26.
"Contrary to some reports, there's no pending announcement from NASA regarding extraterrestrial life," Dr. Zurbuchen wrote in a tweet.
"Are we alone in the universe? While we do not know yet, we have missions moving forward that may help answer that fundamental question," he added in a separate tweet on Tuesday.
Are we alone in the universe? While we do not know yet, we have missions moving forward that may help answer that fundamental question.
— Thomas Zurbuchen (@Dr_ThomasZ) June 26, 2017
The speaker in the Anonymous video focused on comments made by Dr. Zurbuchen in a speech on April 26, in addition to referencing the Kepler Space Telescope's recent discovery of 219 new planet candidates outside of our solar system.
"Taking into account all of the different activities and missions that are specifically searching for evidence of alien life, we are on the verge of making one of the most profound, unprecedented, discoveries in history," Zurbuchen said.
While NASA hasn't found actual evidence of extraterrestrial life, they're still searching. In 2018, NASA is set to launch the James Webb Space Telescope, which could point to life on other planets.
"While we haven't found definitive signs of life elsewhere just yet, our search is making remarkable progress and astrobiology is a focus of a growing number of NASA missions," Dr. Zurbuchen added.
The 12-minute video uses Dr. Zurbuchen's comments as evidence that "something is going on in the skies above."
