In the summer of 2023, Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb led an ocean expedition to the site of a 2014 fireball detected over the Pacific Ocean near Papua New Guinea. The object, CNEOS 2014-01-08, had been identified by Loeb as a potential interstellar meteor based on its hyperbolic trajectory.
The Galileo Project team deployed a custom-designed magnetic sled across the ocean floor. After multiple passes, the sled recovered hundreds of sub-millimeter metallic spherules — tiny balls of solidified molten material consistent with a high-velocity atmospheric entry event.
Preliminary isotope analysis at Harvard revealed anomalies: an unusual ratio of beryllium-10 to beryllium-9 inconsistent with terrestrial industrial processes, and trace elements with isotopic abundances deviating from solar system baselines.
Loeb published preliminary findings in a preprint. The scientific community was divided — some cautioned that ocean-floor contamination could account for the anomalies; others acknowledged the patterns warranted rigorous follow-up.