A controversial new paper questions whether the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is a potentially dangerous alien probe, similar to claims made about 'Oumuamua. But experts have called it "nonsense".

The newly discovered interstellar object 3I/ATLAS could be a piece of "possibly hostile" extraterrestrial technology in disguise, according to controversial research from a small group of scientists, including a renowned alien-hunting astronomer.

Their paper, which has not been peer-reviewed, echoes similar claims previously made about 'Oumuamua, the first-ever cosmic interloper that was discovered in 2017.

But experts have told Live Science that the new claims are "nonsense" and "insulting," and insist that the available evidence points toward the object being completely natural.

3I/ATLAS was discovered on July 1 barreling toward the sun at more than 130,000 mph (210,000 km/h), and was confirmed to be an interstellar object less than 24 hours later.

Initial observations strongly suggest it is a large comet surrounded by a cloud of ice, gas and dust called a coma, stretching up to 15 miles (24 kilometers) across.

A computer model simulating where it originated from hinted that it could be up to 3 billion years older than our solar system, potentially making it the oldest comet ever seen.

Source:  Space