NASA denies hackers’ claims of alien discovery

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NASA has been moved to deny reports that it has discovered alien life, after a claim by hacking group Anonymous last week that the US space agency was on the verge of announcing the confirmed existence of life beyond Earth.

Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, made the denial on Twitter on Tuesday.

“Are we alone in the universe? While we do not know yet, we have missions moving forward that may help answer that fundamental question," he said.

An image shows suspected plumes of water vapor erupting on the surface of Jupiter. /VCG Photo

In Anonymous's 12-minute video on YouTube, a man wearing a mask cited Zurbuchen saying "we are on the verge of making one of the most profound, unprecedented discoveries in history" at a congressional hearing in April.

NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager to capture dozens of high-resolution images to be combined into self-portrait images of the rover. /VCG Photo

The video also said that recent discoveries, such as the presence of hydrogen in Saturn’s moon or oceans found on one of the moons of Jupiter, point towards the possibility of man encountering alien life.

The video has had over half a million views.