Matt Bille - SciWriter

"UAP" is quickly becoming synonymous with "UFO", and inheriting the stigma that comes along with that. In this fascinating article, former AARO Science Advisor Dr. Randy Bostick suggests holding off even on the designation "UAP" and instead going with "Provisional UAP" (PUAP?) until it can be more clearly demonstrated to be unresolvable and actually anomalous. It's a good point. The vast majority of UFO/UAP reports are just distracting noise. If there's something interesting in there, then filtering out that noise would be very helpful. But I fear the terminology horse has already bolted. nps.edu/documents/1107… "UAP reporters (and anyone interested in or pursuing UAP research) should not feel obligated or allow themselves to be coerced into providing an immediate analysis of what they saw or what their instruments detected. For example, the assessment of a hot, fast-moving object should be left to validated analysis and not an initial description. The self-assessment by an observer that something is “weird” or exotic threatens to lead to the UFO supposition and a reluctance to report and the much-discussed reporting stigma. The focus should be on reporting the observable characteristics that led the observer to deem the object as hot or fast moving and on providing any associated oral, written, or instrumented data. This information provides the basis for scientific investigation; the reporter should be required only to report, not to provide the assessment. An approach to reducing the stigma of reporting is to use the term UAP in its proper context as an object that is literally unidentified and/or is behaving anomalously with no assumption of origin based on the initial sighting. To alleviate the implied association of UAPs with UFOs, the initial UAP report may be designated a “potential UAP,” indicating that data and information have been provided, but that further analysis is needed before concluding that it is truly unidentifiable or anomalous and why. This suggestion is analogous to a citizen reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement and letting those professionals investigate whether a crime is actually being committed and by whom. Perhaps the potential UAP ends up being identified as a balloon, drone, or something incredible, but that should not concern the observer making a report."

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This is a brilliant metaphor from Harvard professor Joshua Greene on why grade inflation is so harmful. theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/…