The specimen raised eyebrows because it appeared capable of causing levitation.

As Earthlings, we’re curious about whether alien civilizations like ours are out there or if they exist at all—which is why scientists were intrigued when a mysterious shard of metal exhibited signs that it might have come from intelligent minds on a distant planet.

This peculiar specimen fell to Earth around 1947 in a supposed UFO wreck that seemed linked to the infamous Roswell incident, which had members of the general public believing a flying saucer had crashed to Earth. It turned out that the debris found in Roswell was actually from a U.S. Air Force balloon meant to spy on Soviet nuclear experiments.

While we still don’t know exactly where on Earth the mysterious sample came from, all indications show that it belongs to our own planet. There is a likely origin story behind this object—it might be a product of post-WWII magnesium alloy research for lighter and stronger aircraft. Back then, magnesium alloys were poorly understood, according to the report.

Maybe this artifact wasn’t part of a larger piece of technology manufactured by alien hands, or whatever appendages and machines they might use. Still, this was a valuable exercise, because ruling out objects that originated on Earth only gives us a better idea of what really could be extraterrestrial.