Viral videos show 'meteorite' sprouting black tentacles in Panama; no scientific confirmation

A series of viral videos from Panama showing a small silver-colored rock allegedly sprouting black, tar-like tentacles has drawn intense attention online, but scientists and meteorite trackers say there is no independent verification that the object is a meteorite or that the organism is extraterrestrial.

The footage, first posted by a man identifying himself as Kin, shows a fiery crater and a hand-held metallic object the poster says he discovered in the Pedregal district on Aug. 29. In subsequent clips that have been shared millions of times on TikTok and other platforms, the rock appears to burn tree leaves when they are placed against it, then develop fungus- or tentacle-like growths that Kin says later detached and moved into a locked home safe. Kin has also posted video of the ground near the alleged impact site glowing at night and said he mailed samples of the moving material to friends for analysis; he has not published any laboratory results.

Kin’s posts show the dark, shiny tentacles pulsing and appearing to expand when exposed to light, prompting warnings from some followers that authorities might seize the specimen and that video evidence could be removed. In a video translated from Spanish and posted Sept. 11, Kin said he felt afraid when the organism appeared to have escaped and taken refuge inside his safe. He urged followers to preserve copies of his clips as potential evidence.

Despite the social media attention, no peer-reviewed analysis, university statement or national scientific agency has confirmed the object’s origin or the nature of the growth. Meteorite monitoring groups contacted by reporters have not logged a fall in Panama on the reported date. Experts say typical verification would include a field investigation, geochemical and mineralogical analyses and independent laboratory tests of any biological material.

Online skepticism centers on several items in the videos that critics say suggest staging or misidentification. Commenters pointed to what appeared to be matchsticks in the supposed impact pit, a metallic sheen they described as painted, and the poster’s apparent ability to handle the hot-looking object with bare hands despite footage suggesting it burned leaves. Some users suggested the growth could be a terrestrial fungus, pointing to Clathrus archeri, known as "Devil’s Fingers," though the organism shown by Kin differs in color and texture from typical specimens of that species.

Critics also noted that Kin handled the tentacle-like material directly on camera, which could contaminate any samples he later mailed and complicate future laboratory analysis. No independent laboratory or government report has been made public, and there is no evidence that scientists have been given access to the specimen.

Commentators have offered varying interpretations of the clip. One user on X wrote, "There are people who want to believe, but in reality it looks like a potato," while other viewers described the footage as evidence of something extraordinary. John Greenewald Jr., a researcher of classified documents, wrote that if the object and organism were verified as extraterrestrial, it could be seen as evidence supporting panspermia — the hypothesis that life can be transported between planets on space debris — but he and others acknowledge that such a conclusion would require rigorous, reproducible scientific proof.

Until independent experts examine the rock and any biological material under controlled conditions, the claims will remain unverified. Scientific verification of an object’s meteoritic origin typically relies on mineral composition, isotopic ratios and witness reports corroborated by seismic, radar or acoustic detections; none of those elements has been publicly documented in this case. Researchers say that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and they urged anyone in possession of unusual materials to follow proper handling and reporting procedures to preserve the integrity of potential scientific analyses.