The Pentagon’s latest report on UFOs has revealed hundreds of new sightings of unidentified and unexplained aerial phenomena, but no evidence points to an extraterrestrial origin.

The review includes hundreds of cases of misidentified balloons, birds and satellites, as well as some that have no easy explanation, such as a near miss between a commercial airliner and a mysterious object off the coast of New York.

While it is unlikely that the debate over the existence of extraterrestrial life will be settled, the report reflects increased public interest in the topic and the government’s efforts to provide answers. Its release comes a day after lawmakers in the House of Representatives called for greater government transparency during a hearing on unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs – the government’s preferred term for UFOs.

Federal efforts to study and identify UAPs focus on potential threats to national security or air safety and not on their science fiction aspects. Officials at the Pentagon office created in 2022 to track UAPs, known as the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, have said there is no evidence the cases they investigated have otherworldly origins.

“It is important to underline that AARO has thus far found no evidence of aliens, activity or technology,” the report’s authors wrote.

The Pentagon investigation covered 757 cases from around the world reported to US authorities between May 1, 2023 and June 1, 2024. The total includes 272 incidents that occurred before that period but had not previously been reported.

The vast majority of reported incidents occurred in airspace, but 49 occurred at an altitude estimated at at least 60 miles, which is considered outer space. None took place underwater. Reporting witnesses included commercial and military pilots as well as ground observers.

Researchers found explanations for nearly 300 of the incidents. In many of them, the unknown objects turned out to be balloons, birds, planes, drones or satellites. According to the report, Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system is a source that is becoming increasingly common as people mistake chains of satellites for UFOs.

Hundreds of other cases remain unexplained, although the report’s authors emphasize that this is often because there is not enough information to draw firm conclusions.

No injuries or crashes were reported in any of the incidents, although a commercial flight crew reported a near miss with a “cylindrical object” while flying over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New York. That incident is still under investigation.

In three other cases, military aircrews reported being followed or shadowed by unidentified aircraft, although investigators could find no evidence linking the activity to a foreign power.

During Wednesday’s hearing on UAPs, lawmakers heard testimony from several expert witnesses who have studied the phenomena, including two former military officers.