Viral Video Misidentified as Comet 3I/ATLAS Revealed as Paramecium

A video circulating on social media claiming to show new footage of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS has been debunked as a misidentification. The clip, which was posted on X by the user @BGatesIsaPyscho on October 27, 2025, features a microscopic organism known as a paramecium, not the comet.

The misleading video quickly gained traction, with the original post captioning it as “🚨 New 3I/Atlas Footage just dropped!!” However, a reverse image search conducted on October 29, 2025, revealed no relevant results linking the video to actual astronomical research. Instead, search engines erroneously associated the clip with 3I/ATLAS due to the viral false captions.

To clarify the identity of the organism in the video, Lead Stories contacted Jack A. Gilbert, a microbiologist and professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. In an email response, Gilbert asserted, “That is a paramecium – freshwater I believe – although better phase contrast, and where it was found, would be ideal for better identification.” His expertise highlights the importance of accurate identification in scientific discourse.

The misinformation surrounding the video coincides with NASA’s inability to provide updates on the interstellar comet due to a lapse in federal funding, as noted on their website. The NASA page, which typically features multimedia content related to 3I/ATLAS, currently displays a notice indicating no updates are available.

On September 4, 2025, the National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) released an image of 3I/ATLAS captured by the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph at Gemini South in Chile. This image shows the comet moving through a star field, resulting in colorful streaks from the stars due to the comet’s fixed position in the telescope’s view. Such images, unlike the viral video, provide verified and scientifically relevant footage of the comet.

In recent weeks, discussions about 3I/ATLAS have been the focus of multiple investigations by Lead Stories, further emphasizing the need for accurate reporting and verification in the age of viral misinformation. As excitement around astronomical discoveries grows, so too does the responsibility to ensure that information shared with the public is factual and substantiated by credible sources.