Are the aliens getting braver?
Sightings of UFOs have doubled in a single year in Canada.
Between 2011 and 2012 there were almost 1,000 more recorded sightings of unexplained objects in the sky, according to the report by Ufology Research.
Overall there were 1,981 sightings in 2012, or about five per day, compared to 986 reports in 2011.
The new record beats the previous highest total - 1,004 in 2008 - by more than 900 reports.
"The study found that more than half of all UFO sightings were of simple lights in the sky. Witnesses also reported point sources of light, spheres and boomerangs."
UFO Encounters
Now, a word of obvious caution: the report itself is based mainly on anecdotal evidence gathered by UFO researchers, who likely have a pretty good reason for wanting to report sightings.
But the group who compiled the report have been going since 1989, and say there is no evidence that any sightings are genuine. They add that no comparable studies exist elsewhere in North America, and call simply for more study - including by medical scientists.
Ufology Research suggest a few main reasons for the increased numbers of sightings. Either there are more real UFOs, more classified military flights over populated areas, or people are more aware of UFOs and are taking more time to look for them.
It is also propsed that the growth of UFO communities online has made people more willing to report sightings, where before they may have stayed quiet - though that would not explain the sudden growth compared to 2011.
The group said:
"Popular opinion to the contrary, there is no incontrovertible evidence that some UFO cases involve extraterrestrial contact. The continued reporting of UFOs by the public and the yearly increase in numbers of UFO reports suggests a need for further examination of the phenomenon by social, medical and/or physical scientists."