--- title: "Scientists Discover Mysterious Metal “Monolith” in Utah Wilderness" description: "A team of biologists have discovered a bizarre metal monolith in the wilderness in Utah — and they have no idea where it came from." date: "2020-11-23" modified: "2020-11-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-discover-mysterious-metal-monolith-wilderness" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "the digest" - "wildlife" --- # Scientists Discover Mysterious Metal “Monolith” in Utah Wilderness ![In the latest perplexing turn of events, state officials say the a mysterious monolith has vanished from the Utah desert.]() *\Image: Utah DPS\* ## Space Oddity A team of biologists have discovered a bizarre metal monolith in the wilderness in Utah — and they have no idea where it came from. "One of the biologists is the one who spotted it and we just happened to fly directly over the top of it," pilot Bret Hutchings, who flew a helicopter over the site, [told local news station *KSLTV*](). "He was like, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, turn around, turn around!,'" he added. "And I was like, 'what.' And he’s like, 'There’s this thing back there – we’ve got to go look at it!'" https://twitter.com/AndrewAdamsKSL/status/1330191662518312962 ## Monolith Abduction Between ten and 12 feet high, the shiny monolith stood out like a sore thumb in the otherwise natural landscape. Its location has been intentionally kept under wraps to keep crowds away. The obvious reference, of course, is the 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey," which involves a number of monoliths placed in the solar system by extraterrestrials during prehistory. "We were kind of joking around that if one of us suddenly disappears, then the rest of us make a run for it," Hutchings said. ## New Wave It's still unclear what the hell the shiny metal monolith is doing miles away from civilization. The pilot's best guess as to what it could be was that it came from "some new wave artist or something or, you know, somebody that was a big '2001: A Space Odyssey' fan." **READ MORE:** [Mysterious metal monolith found in the wilds of Utah by team of biologists]() \[*The Independent*\] **More on alien artifacts:** [*Scientist: Aliens Facing the Apocalypse Would Be Easier to Find*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()