--- title: "Alien Hunting Scientist Says He Found Something Extremely Interesting at the Bottom of the Ocean" description: "Avi Loeb, Harvard's premiere alien hunter, has become the first person to ever analyze an object from outside of our Solar System." date: "2023-08-29" modified: "2023-08-29" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/avi-loeb-interstellar-object-pacific-ocean" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "avi loeb" - "interstellar objects" - "meteors" - "the digest" --- # Alien Hunting Scientist Says He Found Something Extremely Interesting at the Bottom of the Ocean ![Avi Loeb, Harvard's premiere alien hunter, has become the first person to ever analyze an object from outside of our Solar System.]() *\Image: Avi Loeb via Medium\* ## Off World First Harvard's premier ET hunter says he's recovered the first known sample of an object from outside our solar system, y'all. In a [statement on his blog](), Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb said that he and his group, the Galileo Project, have completed their analysis of dozens of tiny "spherule" fragments from IM1, a meteorite that crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 2014 and is believed to have originated from beyond our home star system. Known for his [provocative claim ]()that 'Oumuamua, another interstellar object that flew past Earth in 2017, could be [an alien craft](), Loeb has made a name for himself by pairing [outlandish-sounding claims]() about [extraterrestrial tech]() with some [serious scientific acumen](), the latter of which led to the "interstellar expedition" to study what he believes [may also have been a craft]() from an intelligent civilization outside our solar system. The Galileo Project's journey to the waters outside of Papua New Guinea [earlier this summer]() ultimately gathered more than 700 spherules, 57 of which it earmarked for more extensive analysis. That study, Loeb writes, showed that five of the tiny marbles "originated as molten droplets from the surface of IM1 when it was exposed to the immense heat from the fireball generated by its friction on air" back in early 2014, when the object was first detected as it crashed to Earth. What's more, those five pieces "showed a composition pattern of elements from outside the solar system" that were "never seen before," he says — a finding which, if it's corroborated by independent experts, could have significant historical implications. ## Hook, Line, Sinker Loeb and his team were able to acquire the spherules from IM1 using an instrument invented by the Galileo Project that they call the "[interstellar hook]()," a sled-like contraption fitted with fine-tuned magnets that they dragged across the ocean floor to capture the tiny bits of meteor. The device sifted out everything else from the bottom of the ocean and, using its powerful magnets, collected only those with high quantities of iron and other compounds believed to be part of meteors that originated outside of our solar system. In April 2022, the [US Space Command declassified a memo]() corroborating — after [years of speculation]() on Loeb's part — the claim that IM1 did indeed originate from interstellar space based on the velocity at which it blazed through the sky in January 2014 before crash landing into the Pacific Ocean. No word yet, though, on whether the spherules show signs of alien design. "The fundamental question is whether any interstellar meteor might indicate a composition that is unambiguously artificial in origin?" he wrote earlier this year. "Better still, perhaps some technological components would survive the impact. My dream is to press some buttons on a functional piece of equipment that was manufactured outside of Earth." **More on meteors:** [*Expert Says Rock That Hit Woman Was NOT a Meteorite*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()