UFOs aren't alien spacecraft — they're time machines, operated by future humans.

That's the shocking thesis of Michael Masters, a professor of biological anthropology at Montana Technological University. According to Masters, who's spent years researching UFOs, these future humans might be traveling back in time to study their ancestors — us.

'One of the biggest misconceptions is the idea that the hominid form is an evolutionary inevitability on other planets.'

Rather than an adorable little ET looking for a ride home, we might be dealing with distant relatives coming over for a family reunion. Get the guest room ready; things are about to get very weird.

Time travel?

Masters' idea is not as outlandish as it may seem. The concept of time travel, though still speculative, is taken seriously by many scientists. Modern physics, including quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of relativity, shows us that time might not be a straight line. Relativity teaches us that time can bend and stretch with speed and gravity, while some quantum theories even suggest parallel timelines and nonlinear time.

If these theories are correct, time travel could move from the wild world of science fiction to a scientific reality.

How to account for the distinctly "alien" appearance that emerges from testimony of those claiming encounters with the occupants of these craft? It's simple, says Masters — just look to evolutionary science.

Many descriptions of these "aliens," he points out, share characteristics that humans might evolve toward over very long periods of time: larger craniums for bigger brains, reduced body hair, and streamlined, androgynous physiques. These features align with observable trends in human evolution.

For instance, the gradual reduction in body hair and the increase in brain size are traits that could be further exaggerated in the distant future. Men's testosterone levels are plummeting, and sperm quality is decreasing. Moreover, if we consider the possibility of advanced time-travel technology, it stands to reason that future humans might return to study their own origins in the same way we study ancient hominins today.

This theory has sparked considerable interest and, somewhat unexpectedly, a favorable reaction among Masters’ academic peers. Says Masters: “The reaction from my colleagues was different from what I expected. It consisted almost entirely of support.”

Masters recalled a conversation with his department chair about his book, "Identified Flying Objects: A Multidisciplinary Scientific Approach to the UFO Phenomenon." Expecting possible criticism, even ridicule, he was pleasantly surprised by the response he received. His chair simply said, “That’s our job. As scientists, we’re supposed to be asking big questions like that.”

In today's universities, sadly, finding a chair like this appears to be infinitely more challenging than the search for intelligent life in the universe.

Darwin meets DeLorean

Masters’ “extratempestrial theory” stands out because it is both testable and falsifiable, unlike the traditional extraterrestrial hypothesis. In essence, while the latter often relies on inordinate amounts of speculative vapor, Masters’ theory robustly integrates concepts of time travel with human evolution.

He argues that if UFOs are indeed time machines, we would expect to see them exhibit behaviors consistent with their being part of a time-traveling experiment. For instance, these crafts might appear and disappear in ways that align with the concept of moving through different dimensions or time frames.

One of the most compelling aspects of Masters’ theory is his challenge to the common misconceptions surrounding alien life. Many people assume that extraterrestrials would resemble us in some form — sharing our basic anatomical features and biological functions.

Masters believes that this assumption is flawed. “One of the biggest misconceptions,” he noted, “is the idea that the hominid form is an evolutionary inevitability on other planets.”

The probability that extraterrestrials would mirror our specific physical traits, such as having two eyes, a nose, and a mouth in the same locations, is exceedingly low. The diversity of life forms on Earth alone demonstrates that evolution can take countless paths, and it’s improbable that alien life would evolve to resemble humans so closely.

As Masters says, “It is highly unlikely that extraterrestrials would look anything like us, let alone that they would be pentadactyl tetrapods with bilateral symmetry, have two gut openings, two eyes, a nose, and a mouth in the same location on the head.” They might not even have heads!

During a recent interview with the excellent podcaster Danny Jones, Masters also examined how modern reproductive technologies, like in vitro fertilization, could affect human evolution.

While IVF is celebrated as a medical advance, it has unintended consequences for our genetic future. By allowing people with genetic traits that might not have survived naturally to reproduce, IVF disrupts natural selection. This could speed up certain evolutionary changes, making future humans look even more different from us.

Additionally, Masters and Jones imagine a dystopian future where a nuclear disaster forces humanity into isolated underground bunkers. In this scenario, with the surface world uninhabitable, the surviving population would be extremely isolated with a smaller gene pool. This isolation could lead to more incest and a genetic bottleneck, causing unpredictable changes in human evolution.

Take us to your cat memes

When it comes to discussions on alien life forms, Masters is of the belief that the simplest explanation is that these beings are actually future humans.

Essentially, the affable academic concludes, “We know we are here and that we've had a long and accelerating evolutionary trajectory on this planet.”

“The simpler explanation with the fewest assumptions, in an Occam’s razor context, is that these are future humans, as opposed to an extraterrestrial civilization that just happened to find us in the vastness of space.”

An advanced civilization, situated close enough to Earth to visit us regularly and existing within the same multibillion-year timeline of the universe, could very well be our future selves. One can only imagine what they make of earthlings' obsession with gender-reveal parties, overpriced lattes, grumpy cat memes, and Crocs. Perhaps they view us as an adorable example of cosmic adolescence — or, perhaps, they are absolutely mortified.