Scientists in Colombia are currently studying a mysterious sphere, dubbed the Buga Sphere, believed by some to be an unidentified flying object (UFO). The object was spotted flying over Buga, in the Valle del Cauca department of western Colombia, on March 2 and was later recovered in the area. The sphere's unusual characteristics have sparked global attention and fueled speculation about its origins.
Researcher Jose Luis Velasquez, who inspected the object, noted that it shows no welds or joints, features that would typically indicate human manufacturing. "It is a very rare piece ... I've never seen a piece like this," Velazquez said, according to People magazine. He and his team conducted X-ray scans on the sphere and discovered it consisted of three metal-like layers and contained nine microspheres in its interior.
Velazquez believes that the lack of welds or joints bolsters the theory of the sphere's extraterrestrial origin. He added that the sphere appears to have mysterious symbols carved on its surface. Witnesses reported seeing the orb floating erratically in the sky, zigzagging before crashing near a forest. These observations have led some to conclude that the object could be a UFO.
Dr. Julia Mossbridge, a member of the University of San Diego Department of Physics and Biophysics and the founder of the Institute for Love and Time (TILT), expressed skepticism about the sphere's origins. "It looks so human made to me," she told Fox News. Mossbridge suspects the Buga Sphere might be a piece of artwork rather than an object of alien technology.
"It looks to me like a really cool art project," Mossbridge said, advising against jumping to conclusions too quickly. She urged thorough vetting before declaring anomalies in mysterious discoveries. "Before you decide something's anomalous or a UFO, bring the object to a group like the Galileo Project," she suggested, referring to the international research initiative founded by Harvard University astrophysicist Avi Loeb, which aims to rigorously study potential extraterrestrial artifacts.
Mossbridge framed the mysterious object as part of a bigger picture in which humanity must confront its own limitations. "We are entering a time when we don't have the control that we thought we had," she noted. She explained that prior grandiose beliefs in total mastery blind society when "something shows up that doesn't fit our model of the world."
The physicist emphasized the importance of using non-governmental, non-partisan research groups like the Galileo Project and the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies to investigate such phenomena. "They are all trying to get rigorous information themselves, not necessarily waiting on the federal government, about what's going on in our skies, what's going on in our waters, and actually trying to get international cooperation around these things," Mossbridge told Fox News.
BREAKING - Radiologist Examines UFO Sphere That Crashed in Buga, Colombia#Ufotwitter pic.twitter.com/TFeJ8OPmhE
— T R U T H P O L E (@Truthpolex) May 6, 2025
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She also highlighted the potential for discoveries like the Buga Sphere to foster international collaboration. "Because, for instance, the sphere in Colombia is in a different country. So, what are the rules about how we deal with something that's interesting that's found there?" she asked.
While the sphere is currently being studied by researchers in Mexico, the next steps for identifying its origin remain unclear.
The Pentagon and NASA have recently addressed the topic of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). A November 2022 report from the Pentagon documented numerous instances where balloons, birds, and satellites were mistakenly identified as UAPs. Similarly, a NASA report in 2023 concluded that most UAPs are likely attributable to balloons, aircraft, or sunlight reflections, rather than evidence of extraterrestrial life.
Officials at the Pentagon's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), established in 2022 to track UAPs, have stated there is no evidence suggesting that any cases they examined have extraterrestrial origins. Federal efforts to investigate UAPs have prioritized potential risks to national security and air safety rather than delving into theories about their origins.
Despite her skepticism about the Buga Sphere, Mossbridge acknowledged the significance of continued inquiry into unexplained phenomena. "Frankly, we've been looking at UAPs for decades, and the federal government has admitted that there are things that we don't understand, but we are investigating them," she said.
Mossbridge believes that such mysteries can have a unifying effect on humanity. "When people start focusing on something that's bigger than us, it really powerfully changes behavior for the better," she said according to Newsweek.
"As humans, we want to feel safe, so we want to say this is how things work," Mossbridge said. "It's a real trick of just noticing how human psychology works and allowing ourselves to know everything. The safest thing we can do is try to discover what's true."