Do You believe in aliens & UFOs?

Extraterrestrial life is defined as life which does not originate from planet Earth. The existence of such life is theoretical and all assertions about it remain disputed.

Hypotheses regarding the origin(s) of extraterrestrial life, if it exists, are as follows: one proposes that it may have emerged, independently, from different places in the universe. An alternative hypothesis is panspermia or exogenesis, which holds that life emerges from one location, then spreads between habitable planets. These two hypotheses are not mutually exclusive. The study and theorization of extraterrestrial life is known as astrobiology, exobiology or xenobiology. Speculated forms of extraterrestrial life range from life with the simplicity of bacteria to sapient or sentient beings.

Suggested locations which might have once developed, or presently continue to host life similar to our own, include the planets Venus and Mars, moons of Jupiter and Saturn (e.g. Europa, Enceladus and Titan) and Gliese 581 c and d, recently discovered to be near Earth-mass extrasolar planets apparently located in their star's habitable zone, and with the potential to have liquid water.

To date, no credible evidence of extraterrestrial life has been discovered which has been generally accepted by the mainstream scientific community.

All other proposals, including beliefs that some UFOs are of extraterrestrial origin (see extraterrestrial hypothesis) and claims of alien abduction, are considered hypothetical by most scientists. UFO sightings are sightings of unidentified flying objects that may or may not be connected with extraterrestrial intelligent life. Most of these sightings can be dismissed as sightings of Earth based aircraft or known astronomical objects, or perpetration of hoaxes. Some sightings have remained unexplained, in some cases having been reported by trained professionals.

In 2006, New Scientist published a list of ten controversial pieces of evidence that extraterrestrial life exists,http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9943-top-10-controversial-pieces-of-evidence-for-extraterrestrial-life.html but scientists do not consider them credible since no direct observational evidence has been encountered. Many scientists, such as the late Carl Sagan, believe that it is nearly impossible for no other intelligent life to exist in the universe.

This is a list of alleged alien beings that have been reported in close encounters, speculated to be associated with UFOs, or otherwise imagined. UFOs are apparent flying objects which are popularly believed to remain unidentified in terms of existing technology or natural phenomena even after rigorous attempts at identification.

Pleiadeans (also spelled Pleiadian or Plejaran) is the name given to what are said to be a group of extraterrestrials from the Pleiades star cluster in the constellation Taurus, approximately 400 light years from Earth. Some refer to them as Nordic aliens. Their home planet is said to be called Erra, and various descriptions of their appearance have been given by those who claim to have been in contact with them.Huntley, Noel (2002) "Ets and Aliens: Who Are They? and Why Are They Here?", Xlibris Corporation, ISBN 140104073X

Contactees who claim to have been in contact with the Pleiadeans include Billy MeierFrissell, Robert (2002) "Nothing in This Book Is True, But It's Exactly How Things Are", Frog, ISBN 1583940677 and James Gilliland; ; however, their reliability as witnesses is disputed.

The term Greys denotes a style of alleged intelligent, humanoid extraterrestrials appearing in folklore, popular culture, and ufology. In particular, they are a common motif in close encounter and alien abduction claims.

Nordic aliens (Aryan aliens) are said to be a group of humanoid extraterrestrials. They are so named because they are said to resemble Nordic, Scandinavian, or Aryan racial images.Schnoebelen, William J. (2003) "Space Invaders", Xlibris Corporation, ISBN 1413424023

Nordic aliens form a notable part of UFO/abduction belief and the contactee movement in European and Latin American nations, but are not commonly found in accounts from the US.Dean, Jodi (1998)"Aliens in America: Conspiracy Cultures from Outerspace to Cyberspace",Cornell University Press, ISBN 0801484685 Owing to the writings of self-professed Ufologist and contactee Billy Meier, they are sometimes known as Pleiadeans or Errans, and are said to be from the Pleiades star cluster in the constellation of Taurus,Huntley, Noel (2002) "ETs and Aliens: Who Are They? and Why Are They Here?", Xlibris Corporation, ISBN 140104073X although they have been known by other names, and were originally said to come from Venus or other planets within the Solar System because of the claims of George Adamski.

An energy being or astral being is a name given to a group of fictional lifeforms sharing some aspects of their appearance or abilities attributed to the idea that they are composed of pure energy and not made of matter. They appear in myths/legends, paranormal/UFO accounts, and in various works of fiction.

Rather than being literally composed of energy in the physical sense, energy beings are typically rendered as being composed of a translucent glowing fluid, somewhat in common with the representations of ghosts.

The above being common, is not universal. Thanks to fictional representations such as the Q, the distinction between Energy Beings, Elemental spirits, and Cosmic beings is not always distinct. While some such as the Taelons are barely more powerful than mortals, others such as the Q, the Ascended Ancients/Ori from Stargate SG-1, and the Anodite from Ben Ten Alien Force possess god like powers on par with characters often classified as conceptual or higher dimensional beings, AKA Cosmic beings. Often, but not always, being those races that stand in power between the more limited Elemental spirits and the more cosmically powerful Cosmic beings.

In science fiction and ufology, a Venusian is a native inhabitant of the planet Venus.

Nordic aliens (Aryan aliens) are said to be a group of humanoid extraterrestrials. They are so named because they are said to resemble Nordic, Scandinavian, or Aryan racial images.Schnoebelen, William J. (2003) "Space Invaders", Xlibris Corporation, ISBN 1413424023

Nordic aliens form a notable part of UFO/abduction belief and the contactee movement in European and Latin American nations, but are not commonly found in accounts from the US.Dean, Jodi (1998)"Aliens in America: Conspiracy Cultures from Outerspace to Cyberspace",Cornell University Press, ISBN 0801484685 Owing to the writings of self-professed Ufologist and contactee Billy Meier, they are sometimes known as Pleiadeans or Errans, and are said to be from the Pleiades star cluster in the constellation of Taurus,Huntley, Noel (2002) "ETs and Aliens: Who Are They? and Why Are They Here?", Xlibris Corporation, ISBN 140104073X although they have been known by other names, and were originally said to come from Venus or other planets within the Solar System because of the claims of George Adamski.

The terms alien abduction or abduction phenomena describe "subjectively real memories of being taken secretly and/or against one's will by apparently nonhuman entities and subjected to complex physical and psychological procedures."Appelle, Stuart. The Abduction Experience: A Critical Evaluation of Theory and Evidence. Journal of UFO Studies, n.s. 6, 1995/96, pp. 29?78

People claiming to have been abducted are sometimes called "abductees" or "experiencers." They often claim to have been subjected to a forced medical examination that emphasizes their reproductive system. Miller, John G. "Medical Procedural Differences: Alien Versus Human." In: Pritchard, Andrea & Pritchard, David E. & Mack, John E. & Kasey, Pam & Yapp, Claudia. Alien Discussions: Proceedings of the Abduction Study Conference. Cambridge: North Cambridge Press, 1994. Pp. 59-64. Abductees sometimes claim to have been warned against environmental abuse and the dangers of nuclear weapons. Consequently, while many of these purported encounters are described as terrifying, some have been viewed as pleasurable or transformative.

The abduction phenomenon has garnered substantial attention from mainstream scientists and mental health professionals, who overwhelmingly doubt that the phenomenon occurs literally as reported and who have proposed a variety of alternate explanations, including "deception, suggestibility (fantasy-proneness, hypnotizability, false-memory syndrome), personality, sleep phenomena, psychopathology, psychodynamics and environmental factors."Appelle, 1996

The first alien abduction narrative to be widely publicized was the Betty and Barney Hill abduction in 1961. Reports of the abduction phenomenon have been made around the world, but are most common in English speaking countries, especially the United States. The contents of the abduction narrative often seem to vary with the home culture of the alleged abductee.Sheaffer, Robert. "A Skeptical Perspective on UFO Abductions." In: Pritchard, Andrea & Pritchard, David E. & Mack, John E. & Kasey, Pam & Yapp, Claudia. Alien Discussions: Proceedings of the Abduction Study Conference. Cambridge: North Cambridge Press, 1994. Pp. 382-388.

Alien abductions have been the subject of conspiracy theories and of popular science fiction works such as The X-Files.

Contactees are persons who claim to have experienced contact with extraterrestrials. Contactees have typically reported that they were given messages or profound wisdom by extraterrestrial beings, and that they were compelled to share these messages. These claimed encounters are often described as ongoing, but some contactees claim to have had as few as a single encounter.

As a cultural phenomenon, contactees perhaps had their greatest notoriety from the late 1940s to the late 1950s, but individuals continue to make similar claims in the present, such as Swiss cult leader Billy Meier. Some have shared their messages with small groups of followers, and many have issued newsletters or spoken at UFO conventions.

The stories of contactees contain much material that has not stood the test of time, such as claims that there are unknown planets within this solar system, or that the planets of our solar system are inhabited by so-called "Space Brothers", beings physically similar to humans but more spiritually evolved. Certainly at least some of the claims were fraudulent.(Spencer 1991:82)

The contactee movement has seen serious attention from academics and mainstream scholars. Among the earliest was the classic 1956 study, When Prophecy Fails by Leon Festinger, et al., which included information about, and analysis of, contactee groups. Additionally, there have been at least two university-level anthologies of scientific papers regarding the contactee movements (see sources below). Jenny Randles and Peter Houghe have written that "The contactee movement is a rich treat for anthropologists, sticky with sincere and sincerely deluded individuals. Were the contactees in touch with anything other than their own internal fantasies?"(Randles and Hough, 108)

Contactee accounts are generally different from those who allege alien abduction, in that while contactees usually describe beneficial experiences involving human-like aliens, abductees rarely describe their experiences positively.

Alien abduction claimants (also called abductees and experiencers) are people who have claimed to have experienced the paranormal abduction phenomenon. The term "abduction phenomenon" describes claims of non-human creatures kidnapping individuals and temporarily removing them from familiar terrestrial surroundings.Rodeghier, Mark. "Who is an Abductee? A Set of Selection Criteria for Abductees." In: Pritchard, Andrea & Pritchard, David E. & Mack, John E. & Kasey, Pam & Yapp, Claudia. Alien Discussions: Proceedings of the Abduction Study Conference. Cambridge: North Cambridge Press. Pp. 22. The abductors, usually interpreted as being extraterrestrial life forms, are said to subject experiencers to a forced medical examination that emphasizes the alleged experiencer's reproductive system. Miller, John G. "Medical Procedural Differences: Alien Versus Human." In: Pritchard, Andrea & Pritchard, David E. & Mack, John E. & Kasey, Pam & Yapp, Claudia. Alien Discussions: Proceedings of the Abduction Study Conference. Cambridge: North Cambridge Press. Pp. 59-64.

The first alien abduction narrative to be widely publicized was the Betty and Barney Hill abduction in 1961. Since that time, the credibility and mental health of alleged experiencers has taken on great importance to those seeking to determine the veracity of the abduction claims. Mainstream academics and members of the skeptics movement generally doubt that the phenomenon occurs literally as reported, and have proposed a variety of alternate explanations.

Such skeptics often argue that the phenomenon might be a modern-day folk myth or vivid dreams occurring in a state of sleep paralysis. On the contrary ufologists and paranormal researchers hold positions closer to the face-value of abduction claims. The discovery of common psychological traits shared by abductees would have the potential to determine a neurological explanation for the claims, while other commonalities or differences may serve to reinforce that the claims of the experiencers do in fact correspond with objective reality.

Brigitte (or Bridget?) Grant (pseudonym) is a British make-up artist. She claims to be a multiple abduction victim and also that she has experienced paranormal and alien events throughout her life from early childhood to the present. She is regarded in many circles as being the UK's, if not Europe's, "leading" Alien Abductee and it is widely believed that her abduction experiences are unparalleled. This is to be the subject of the forthcoming book The Alien Within by Nick Pope.

In 2001, at the 20th Leeds International UFO Conference organized by UFO Magazine (UK), Nick Pope introduced Briggite where she related some of her childhood experiences and described them in the context of a child's description, later in the lecture revisiting the simple child-like explanations from a more adult perspective. Nick worked with for several years, and took her to New York to work with Budd Hopkins. He gave a joint presentation with her at the September 2001 conference organised by "UFO Magazine" editor Graham W Birdsall.

One of her early experiences allegedly involved "a little Chinese girl. "I thought has to be Chinese, oriental at lease because of her eyes." and later "...a sort of gazebo in a field. The field shimmered around it and I thought it must have been the grass swaying in the wind. The gazebo had colored lanterns around the outside...flickering..." exact quotes. We were later to find out that the little Chinese girl was probably one of the stereotypical "Greys" and the gazebo was most likely an alien craft.

Brigitte also related more current abduction events, some of which supposedly occurred when she was living in the USA. Nick introduced her to Budd Hopkins, a renowned expert of the abduction phenomenon in the USA, to try to bring clarity to Brigite's deep conscious memories through the use of regression techniques.

In Nick Pope's Weird World article he states that "I gave a presentation with Brigitte Grant, an abductee who Ive been working with for several years. Brigitte gave an overview of the various strange experiences that she's had, focusing on a few specific UFO and abduction experiences. For an audience more used to hearing from the abduction researchers, it was refreshing to hear about experiences first hand, from an abductee, and aside from being fascinated by her story, the audience very much appreciated Brigitte's courage for speaking out about her encounters in so public a forum. The Sunday speakers were equally impressive."''

Nick Pope is currently working with Brigitte Grant on a book - The Alien Within - about her extraordinary UFO and abduction experiences, which are unparalleled in the literature. She is also the founder member of the South West Witness Support Group.http://www.nickpope.net/operation_lightning_strike_inter.htm

Budd Hopkins (born on June 15, 1931 in Wheeling, West Virginia) is a central figure in abduction phenomenon and related UFO research. He is also a painter and sculptor of note.

Linda Moulton Howe, born January 20, 1942, is an American investigative journalist and documentary producer-writer-director-editor who is currently based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

David Michael Jacobs is an American historian and Associate Professor of History at Temple University, specializing in twentieth century American history and culture. He is well known in the field of Ufology for his research into alleged alien abductions and UFOs.

John Edward Mack, M.D. (October 4, 1929-September 27, 2004) was an American psychiatrist, writer, and professor at Harvard Medical School. He was a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, and a leading authority on the spiritual or transformational effects of alleged alien abduction experiences.Feeney, Mark. "Pulitzer Winner is Killed in Accident," The Boston Globe, September 29, 2004.

Louis Whitley Strieber (; born June 13, 1945) is an American writer best known for his horror novels The Wolfen and The Hunger and for Communion, a non-fiction account of his perceived experiences with non-human entities. Strieber also co-authored The Coming Global Superstorm with Art Bell, which inspired the blockbuster film about sudden climate change, The Day After Tomorrow.

Dr. Karla Turner (1947 ? January 9, 1996) was widely respected in the UFO community for her research on alien abduction. A scholar and professional educator, she earned a Ph.D. in Old English studies and taught at the university level in Texas for more than ten years. But in 1988, she and her husband and son endured a shocking series of experiences and recollections that forced them to recognize that they were all abductees.

Karla's response was to drop her professional university career and turn her full attention to abduction research. Her first book, Into the Fringe (Berkley Books, 1992), told of her own experiences and those of her family. Her second book, Taken - Inside the Alien-Human Abduction Agenda (Kelt Works, 1994), profiled the abduction stories of eight women whose experiences included both "alien" and human intrusions, and both benign and negative elements, illustrating the profoundly complex nature of the abduction mystery. Her most recent book, Masquerade of Angels (Kelt Works, 1994), was co-written with psychic Ted Rice and recounts Ted's lifelong encounters with strange entities whose identity hovered in a shadowland between angelic and demonic. Karla was working on another book when she became ill in early 1995.

Dr. Karla Turner died of cancer on January 9, 1996.

Nigel Watson (July 30, 1954) is a British writer, researcher and UFO consultant.