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ALLEN: Some scientists of UFOs are issuing a report that may heat up speculation about this always-lively topic. In the first independent review of UFO phenomena in more than 30 years, a nine-member group of scientists says physical evidence linked to some sightings deserves additional scientific study. The physicist who headed up that panel is Peter Sturrock, who joins me now from Stanford, California. Thanks for joining us, sir.
STURROCK: You’ re welcome.
ALLEN: Well, tell us about the sightings that you believe need further examination?
STURROCK: Well, I’ m not presenting my belief. I’ m presenting the assessment of a panel of scientist who met with a group of eight investigators. The investigators were asked to present whatever physical evidence they found in the course of their research.
   And the only question asked of the panel was that, do you believe that further study of this kind of case, this kind of evidence, might eventually lead to answers to the problem of understanding the cause or causes of UFO reports? And the panel felt, yes, this would be a promising line of research for the future.
ALLEN: So can you give us an example of a particular sighting they may examine further?
STURROCK: Well, there were many examples given, ranging from photographic evidence through radar, through ground traces. But the panel, in particular, is interested in cases with more than one kind of physical evidence. And one of those occurred in France in 1981. It is, unfortunately, a single-witness case. But the witness, who was working in his garden, heard a whistling sound, saw a strange object land on his terrain and then leave.
   In France, they have an official data collection and organization, organized through the French space agency, CNES. So the next day, the Jondomery(ph) (gendarmerie i. e. , ed. ) came out and took photo graphs, took samples of the plants. A little later, scientist from the space agency came out, took further samples, further photographs, took soil samples, and took samples of the vegetation, which were alfalfa plants. And they found there were deep marks in the soil that would have taken about 1 ton to produce, and the vegetation has strange biochemical changes, which could perhaps be caused by micro-radiation; they didn’t know what.
   But here is one case with only a single witness and two kinds of physical evidence. The panel really urges a search for cases with many witnesses and more than one kind of physical evidence.
ALLEN: I believe I read that you have said that you believe there should be more emphasis placed on the physical evidence as opposed to witness testimony.
STURROCK: You need both, you need both. You have to have strong witness testimony, and you have to have physical evidence that we analyze in the laboratory.
   And these are really quite different kinds of activities. And it probably would be good ff different people, or different teams, were involved in the two types of research.
   It may take an official organization, as in France, to collect the data that can then be provided to university scientist or other scientist to analyze the data..
ALLEN: You’ ye also said that this field of UFO study is in a very unsatisfactory state of ignorance and confusion. Why do you think that is, when there seems to be something that so many people have an interest in?
STURROCK: Well, I think basically it’s because there has been no sponsored research in this area. Almost all scientific research in the nation is sponsored by an agency or supported by the institution, like a corporation or an university. UFO research has no such support.
ALLEN: Do you think you could get a corporate sponsor?
STURROCK: Did you say, do I think we can?
ALLEN: Yes.
STURROCK: That remains to be seen. I’ m not looking for it.
ALLEN: How else would you try to fund this research?
STURROCK: I’ m not trying to fund it. I’ m simply trying to -- we’ re simply trying to point the way how research could be carried out ff there are any organizations or any other countries who wish to pursue it. Now there are pro grams in Chile and in France. And if three or four other countries would set up really quite low-level re search projects, then in a few years, we may have some serious answers.
ALLEN: How much would you like to see an answer to the scenario? You told us about this fellow in Europe. Do you have a particular interest in that story, since you shared it with us?
STURROCK: No, I have no particular interest in any particular story. I find it a challenge that there have been UFO re ports for 50 years, and they have been pretty much ignored for 50 years. I hope they will not be ignored for the next 50 years.
ALLEN: And what about you personally? Are we alone? Do you think something or someone has landed here?
STURROCK: Oh, that is entirely a separate issue. Most astronomers and most physicists believe that we probably are not alone, that there are other life forms on other planets or on other stars. But most physicists believe it is quite possible to travel from one star to another.
ALLEN: Peter Sturrock, thanks for joining us.