White House appoints Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb to lead new UFO study group
significant, well-sourced
UAP Insight significance score
- Author
- Leonard David
- Published
- July 11, 2026
- Location
- Harvard University·White House
- Object type
- unidentified anomalous phenomena
Original excerpt
Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has been appointed as the head of a new White House group to study UFOs, or unidentified anomalous phenomena, as they're now known.
Key claims
- →Avi Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist, has been appointed head of a new White House UFO study group
- →The group will study unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs)
- →The excerpt does not specify the group's membership or mandate
Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has been appointed to head a new White House group studying UFOs, now referred to as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs). The appointment reflects the federal shift in terminology from UFO to UAP that has developed in recent years. Loeb is known for his work on interstellar objects, including the 2017 object 'Oumuamua, and for arguing that some anomalous objects could be technological in origin. The excerpt does not give the group's mandate, full membership, funding, or access to government data. The formal scope and output of the group remain unverified in this report. Many anomalous sightings in past official reviews have received mundane explanations, so the group's eventual conclusions are still open.
Alternative explanation
Past official reviews of anomalous sightings have often found mundane explanations, which may apply to the group's findings.
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