Obama official: 'Aliens are not on Earth'

A senior figure in Barack Obama's administration has insisted that there is "no credible evidence" that aliens are on Earth.

Space policy official Phil Larson dismissed conspiracy theories about extraterrestrial life after two petitions for information reached the White House.

"The US government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet," Sky News quotes him as saying. "Or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race.

"In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the public's eye."

Although Larson conceded that "odds are pretty high" of there being life elsewhere in the universe, he added: "Many have noted that the odds of us making contact with any of them - especially any intelligent ones - are extremely small, given the distances involved."

The statement was issued under a new initiative called We the People, which promises a government response to petitions with a significant backing. The White House received a total of 17,000 signatures regarding extraterrestrial beings.

> Aliens may destroy Earth over environment
> 'Alien' monkey causes panic in Chinese village