By Marcia Dunn
NASA held its first public meeting on UFOs Wednesday a year after launching a study into unexplained sightings.
The space agency televised the hourslong hearing featuring an independent panel of experts. The team includes 16 scientists and other experts selected by NASA including retired astronaut Scott Kelly, the first American to spend nearly a year in space.
Several committee members have been subjected to “online abuse” for serving on the team, which detracts from the scientific process, said NASA's Dan Evans, adding that NASA security is dealing with it.
“It’s precisely this rigorous, evidence-based approach that allows one to separate the fact from fiction," Evans said.
The study is a first step in trying to explain mysterious sightings in the sky that NASA calls UAPs, or unidentified aerial phenomena.
The group is looking at what unclassified information is available on the subject and how much more is needed to understand what's going on in the sky, according to astrophysicist David Spergel, the committee's chair who runs the Simons Foundation.
No secret military data are included, such as anything surrounding the suspected spy balloons from China spotted flying over the U.S. earlier this year.
The meeting was held at at NASA headquarters in Washington with the public taking part remotely.
A final report is expected by the end of July.
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Maisie Devine, global director for Anheuser-Busch InBev's 100+ Accelerator, said the incubator will focus on nurturing sustainable start-ups, as the alcohol giant commits to reducing its own emissions by 25 percent.
An unknown malfunction prompted an emergency landing of a Russian rocket, with the American astronaut and Russian cosmonaut on board both found safe. Sarah Lewin, an editor at Space.com, said these events are rare but astronauts train extensively for them.
The markets looked to recover from a major sell-off on Wednesday. The Dow closed down more than 800 points. The Florida Panhandle is reeling after Hurricane Michael tore through the region causing catastrophic damage. And Razer launched a handful of new products, including the Razer Phone 2, to make gaming more accessible. Kevin Allen joins Cheddar to explain what makes the products stand out in the gaming world.
Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, heading for areas that are still recovering from Florence. Jason Samenow, the Washington Post's weather editor, said the storm is far from over and that the biggest concern will be storm surges.
Hurricane Michael strengthened to a Category 4 overnight as it barrels towards the Florida Panhandle. AccuWeather predicts the hurricane will cause $30 billion in damage. SoftBank is reportedly in talks to take a majority stake in WeWork. Plus, Cheddar's Alyssa Julya Smith chats with actor Caleel Harris about what to expect from the upcoming 'Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween' movie and his role in Ava DuVernay's 'Central Park Five' TV series.
Hurricane Michael strengthened into a monster Category 4 storm overnight, tracking for a Wednesday afternoon landfall near Panama Beach, Fla. Joel Myers, founder and president of AccuWeather, explained the specific dangers of this storm for the southeast.
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Hurricane Michael has strengthened to Category 2 hurricane as of Tuesday and could ramp up to Category 3 by the time it makes landfall in Florida Wednesday. Eric Holthaus, meteorologist and writer for Grist, said the storm is likely to be the worst to hit the Panhandle in decades.
Acclaimed music producer, DJ, and entrepreneur Steve Aoki is dipping his toe into comic books. At New York Comic Con Aoki debuted 'Neon Future,' his comic debut.
A landmark report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Monday warned that there could be irreversible damage caused by climate change in as little as 12 years. Andrew Freedman, science reporter at Axios, said the effects of this could be even hotter heat waves, sea-levels rising that could wipe out coastal cities, food shortages, and more.
