One in five university scientists say they have seen a UFO – or know a loved one who has

ONE in five university scientists say they have seen a UFO — or have a family member who has.

It means boffins are also mystified by strange lights and weird shapes in the sky — not just conspiracy theorists.

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One in five university scientists say they have seen a UFO — or have a family member who has[/caption]

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Out of those polled, 37% reckon there needs to be more research into close encounters.[/caption]

Researchers polled 1,460 academics from 144 universities, asking if they or someone close to them has ever witnessed “unidentified aerial phenomena”.

A fifth said yes and 37 per cent reckon there needs to be more research into close encounters.

People working in art and design, anthropology or religious studies were most likely to report sightings, the study found.

But so were around a fifth of biologists and a third of physicists.

One said: “I have seen UFOs twice. I know they exist and we don’t have that level of technology. I used to tell people, but they thought I was crazy or lying, so now I’m silent.”

Another added: “My entire family and I witnessed a UFO around 1976. It was over our house.”

The US study by Louisville University, Kentucky, found one in eight think UFOs are a “device from an unknown intelligence”.