'Oumuamua, the mysterious interstellar object that has caused much head scratching in scientific circles, now has a new possible origin: part of a reconnaissance mission initiated by an alien civilization wanting to check out other galaxies. The latest theory on 'Oumuamua comes from a study published on Thursday by Shmuel Bialy and Abraham Loeb, a pair of astronomers with the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. When scientists reviewed data collected by the Pan-STARRS-1 survey of 'Oumuamua's closest flyby of the sun on September 9, 2017, they noted that the mysterious rock gained speed, rather than slowing down. Researchers at the time explained that the increase in 'Oumuamua's velocity was likely explained by outgassing, the release of gas trapped or frozen inside the rock. The object itself was later classified as a comet by officials. However, this explanation didn't sit right with Bialy and Loeb, who argue that had outgassing been the cause of 'Oumuamua's increased