Aliens appear to have made 'first contact' with a warning to save the Earth, boffins claim. Experts say they have deciphered messages written on a mysterious metal sphere which crashed in South America earlier this year. And they say it seems to be carrying an historic first message to the world from ET.
The alarming caution from 'far away in time and space' urges mankind to take steps to protect the planet before it is swallowed up by a biblical-scale flood.
Linguist Agnese Sartori claims to have deciphered the intergalactic words and unidentified hieroglyphic symbols on the UFO which crashed near the city of Buga, Colombia in March.
She painstakingly interpreted each symbol using ancient languages, links to Sanskrit and her knowledge of archeology and literature. Her conclusion is the sphere's message relates to the 'oldest language spoken in some form on this planet'.
Sartori said: "I believe there's a message here. They're telling us: 'We entrust you with life, creation, universal harmony, everything that the Sun, the Moon, the stars, the cosmos, the primal vibration, signifies and you have the possibility to destroy it or save it'. That for me is perhaps my interpretation could be the fundamental message of that sphere."
Sartori told a TV broadcast streamed worldwide how the message may have been delivered because if the Earth is destroyed soon it will have a knock-on effect on the Solar System.
"In some way I believe that man can design destiny because by making mistakes alone one can decide that this planet will be destroyed in 100 years or in 100,000," she said.
"I believe that man who is a co-creator, because he's eternal, also has a responsibility for the cosmos because if something happens to Earth it will be a problem in the Solar System and will have repercussions much further afield.
"I believe that man has a great responsibility and what's happening now is a huge problem."
Scientists have been baffled by the sphere since it was first spotted making unusual zig-zag movements as it hovered in the skies above Colombia.
After the football-sized UFO crashed through power cables to the ground it was recovered and sent for scientific analysis. The metallic ball is covered in mysterious symbols from no known language or culture and varies in weight from 16lb to 22lb. Microscopic scans have revealed complex fibre-optic wiring inside indicating it could transmit and receive signals.
It contains a central nucleus experts call a 'chip' which is surrounded by 18 micro-spheres and three layers of metal-like material.
The outer layer contains 31 precisely-drilled microscopic holes which some suggest could be for communication. Grass and soil at the spot where it landed died off and have shown no sign of re-growth. But no radiation has been detected and experts believe an 'invisible energy' may have extracted all moisture from the surrounding area.
It has got heavier since it crashed which some scientists suggest indicates it may have used 'futuristic gravitational forces' to reduce weight during flight.
A University of Georgia, US, report has stated organic material found inside the Buga sphere is approximately 12,560 years old - predating the pyramids of Egypt by seven millennia.
Radiologists found 'no welds or joints' which would indicate human fabrication.
Sartori stated the 31 etchings tease details of a flood.
"I believe that there are symbols here which can speak of the system of the earth or the cosmos which has been modified through, for example, a flood," she said. "There are many texts that speak of the flood."
Show host Jack Osbourne said he was determined to prove 'intelligent creatures occupying planets' have 'connected to earth and humanity'.
Australian documentary film-maker Serene DC said the sphere's arrival on Earth was a 'pivotal moment in human discovery'.
"If this translation is indeed accurate it speaks of cosmic beginnings, of cycles of creation and destruction and of a solar event that divides worlds," she said. "Whether this is poetry, prophecy or a record of something that truly happened long ago we don't know yet. Further metallurgical analysis is now underway. Teams from several laboratories are studying the sphere's precise alloy composition to determine whether these metals are of earthly origin or something else entirely.
"Whatever its origin, perhaps we're being reminded that someone or something is watching over us."