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A renowned Harvard physicist has a bold theory -- a celestial object that hurled through our solar system in 2017 was actually not of our galaxy ... but from another, perhaps light-years away.

Avi Loeb -- whose new book, "Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth," delves more into his hypothesis -- came on "TMZ Live" Tuesday to explain why a massive, sleek unidentified piece of debris that crossed our path in 2017 might've been other-worldly.

Check it out ... Avi says when it was studied by physicists and other scientists at the time, it had none of the makings of a typical asteroid or meteor that we would see from a distant star in the Milky Way. On the contrary, he explains that it was actually propelled by an unknown source, and appears (to him, anyway) to have pierced through from a faraway place.

The Chairman of the Harvard Astronomy Dept. goes on to break down how he and his contemporaries think the object was catching flight ... it's a technology that's beyond our grasp at this point, but one that could describe how the 100-yard entity moved how it did. Think 'Star Wars' hyperspace ... and now, add light to the mix. That's pretty much what Avi believes happened here.

As for what exactly it could be ... Avi's said it might be nothing more than space junk. But, whose space junk is the key question. In his eyes, it ain't ours ... which is extraordinary.

The family of the Southern California man who died after being arrested at a grocery store is following through with a lawsuit that describes the incident in eerily similar detail to George Floyd's death.

Ernie Serrano's mother, Maria Lowrie, has filed a wrongful death suit against the County of Riverside and its Sheriff's Dept -- along with the Stater Bros. Market where the incident occurred -- claiming they killed her son.

According to the legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Lowrie claims Serrano was shopping on December 15 when store security began to pester him and then physically confronted him.

Serrano's mom says the security contacted the sheriff's office and falsely accused him of assault with a deadly weapon -- she claims he was unarmed. The store claims he had reached for the security guard's weapon.

According to the suit ... when deputies showed up they immediately were hostile toward Serrano and "escalated a very minor situation, into a fatal situation."

Lowrie claims her son was not aggressive toward the officers, but they responded with unreasonable brute force -- including beating him and using a Taser.

According to the suit ... the deputies were not satisfied with tasing and beating Serrano with a baton, so they took him down and pummeled him with their fists. Lowrie claims they continued to torture him for nearly 7 minutes, including slamming him on his stomach on a checkout stand and cutting off his air supply.

Lowrie says while her son was pinned down, he screamed out "I can't breathe man" and pleaded for help. Instead, a spit mask was placed on him, which allegedly restricted his breathing even more ... and Serrano's mom claims he was spitting blood into it as he begged them to take it off.

According to the suit ... after 6 minutes and 40 seconds of being pinned down forcefully, a deputy realized he wasn't breathing and had lost consciousness. Lowrie believes he was likely already dead by the time of this discovery.

Serrano's mom's accusing the deputies of ignoring all of the factors that can lead to death by asphyxia, denying him proper medical care, and assault and battery leading to his death. She wants the Stater Bros. held accountable for negligence as well.

"If you do not take this next fight from me, you will not be remembered. Your legacy will forever be tainted if you do not accept this fight."

Boxing superstar Ryan Garcia says he's trying like hell to make Gervonta Davis his next opponent ... telling TMZ Sports, "It's the most important fight to boxing right now."

Of course, Garcia -- fresh off a huge TKO win over Luke Campbell -- has wanted a piece of Tank for more than 2 years now ... but he tells us it's finally time for them to meet in the ring.

"I don't have time for celebrations," 21-0 Garcia tells us. "I'm on one mission. I'm on a mission to knock out Gervonta Davis in 2 rounds ... This man will go down. 2 rounds -- that's a promise!!"

Remember, 22-year-old Garcia has called out 26-year-old Tank every possible chance he gets -- see here, here, here and here -- and Davis has taken notice, threatening to "kill" him in the ring.

Now that both fighters have a clear schedule, Garcia says he wants to give the sport what it deserves ... comparing it to an Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury matchup.

"This is the fight. Joshua needs to fight Fury and I need to fight Gervonta. That's it! We need to get this on. I'm going for it! This is it!"

As for when it should go down, Garcia tosses around May or September ... but makes it clear he wants fans in person for the huge event.

Miya Ponsetto, the SoHo Karen who attacked a Black teen after falsely accusing him of stealing her iPhone, had a second DUI arrest last year ... and that means a jailhouse jumpsuit could be in her future.

TMZ obtained court records of Ponsetto's DUI arrest from October 3 in Ventura County -- she was charged with DUI, resisting arrest and obstructing or delaying a peace officer or EMT.

She's entered a not guilty plea for that arrest, but the details sound eerily similar to her previous DUI bust. As we first reported, Ponsetto was stopped on May 28 in Malibu and law enforcement sources told us she went wild on cops during the arrest.

Now, on September 28, she ended up pleading no contest, and a judge gave her 3 years probation ... the terms of which call for her to stay out of further legal trouble. So, getting arrested just 5 days later for a 2nd DUI is a serious problem for her.

According to court records, a letter of a possible probation violation has already been sent to L.A. County where she's on probation. It'll be up to the D.A.'s Office and a judge, but Ponsetto's now looking at the possibility of doing time for the violation.

She's due back in court Jan. 28, for the 2nd DUI. She also has a pretrial hearing that same day for a drunk in public arrest from last February in Bev Hills -- and of course, NYPD still wants to talk to her about the iPhone incident.

When soon-to-be First Lady Jill Biden takes over the East Wing of The White House, she and her team will be treated to upgraded facilities ... but there's absolutely no proof it's because the current administration clogged the toilet.

According to federal procurement docs obtained by TMZ ... The White House is dropping a little more than $1.2 MILLION on restroom renovations at the 2-story structure where the current First Lady's offices are located.

It's not totally clear what the job will entail -- it's simply listed as "EW restroom refresh" -- but the company that scored the gig is the local, minority-owned Holmes Mechanical Contractors ... which specializes in all sorts of big-building bathroom stuff.

The project is slated to be completed by mid-May -- according to the financial docs -- so Jill and her staff will get to reap the restroom rewards for almost the entirety of President Biden's term.

When it comes to politics, Hollywood is predictable, and it's paying off in a big way for 2 Georgia Senate hopefuls.

The cash has been pouring in for Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, who are locked in what looks like a tight race with the 2 incumbent Republican Senators.

With the help of Federal Election Commission filings, we found the obvious ... lots of stars digging deep for the Democrats, and Republicans ... well, hardly a drop.

For Ossoff:
- Kate Capshaw-Spielberg ($5,600)
- Jack Black ($4,070.50)
- Danny DeVito ($2,800)
- Rita Wilson ($1,250)
- Sally Field ($1,220)
- Susan Sarandon ($750)
- Christine Brinkley ($800)
- Rosario Dawson ($673.34)
- Billy Eichner ($651.25)
- Kumail Nanjiani ($554.95)
- John Goodman ($500)
- Alyssa Milano ($250)

For Warnock:
Mark Ruffalo ($4,244)
Jane Fonda ($2,666.67)
Josh Brolin ($2,500)
Holly Peete ($1,300)
Rita Wilson ($1,250)
Kathy Bates ($1,000)
Susan Sarandon ($1,000)
Busy Philipps ($1,000)
Tracee Ellis Ross ($666.67)
Laura Linney ($600)
Andrew Daly ($500)
Taran Killam ($333.33)
Lesley Brandt ($317.86)
John Michael Higgins ($262.51)
Mandy Moore ($216.66)

Wilson and Sarandon double-dipped apparently ... dishing out contributions to both Ossoff and Warnock. Busy Philipps and Mandy Moore were also among the celebs who hopped on the Warnock train.

Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue didn't fare well with celebrity contributions. Loeffler got $250 from Jaclyn Smith, and that's it. According to the records, Perdue didn't get a dime.

There's lots of money outside Hollywood, and money has poured in for Republicans as well.

Tanya Roberts' death has been greatly exaggerated, because her rep now says she's alive, despite the rep not only telling TMZ she died, but sending out a press release with that information.

TMZ reported Sunday Tanya had died after collapsing at her home on Christmas Eve and being rushed to the hospital and placed on a ventilator.

The rep had told us she died Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. He told us Tanya's husband had informed him that Tanya had passed.

We even got a quote from the rep from Tanya's husband, Lance, saying, "As I held her in her last moments, she opened her eyes."

Now the rep, Mike Pingel, tells TMZ, Lance got a call just after 10 AM Monday from the hospital saying Tanya was still alive. Pingel said Lance truly believed Tanya had died.

What's more shocking, Lance was recording an interview with Inside Edition when he got the call from the hospital to deliver the news ... a very emotional call.

Interestingly, friends of the family also contacted TMZ Sunday saying Lance had called them to inform them of the "That '70s Show" star's death.

As for how this could happen ... beats us.

WNBA star Renee Montgomery has a brand new business partner -- she's joined Marshawn Lynch as a co-owner of a football team in the new Fan Controlled Football league!

Montgomery announced the move on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 (which she co-hosts) -- saying she's officially a shot-caller with the Beasts, one of four teams in the new FCF league.

The move makes Renee the first female owner in the league -- where she'll compete against other teams owned by NFL stars like Richard Sherman and Austin Ekeler. Quavo is also a co-owner of the Glacier Boyz.

As we first reported, Johnny Manziel just signed a deal to play in the FCF with a team called The Zappers -- and Renee jokingly admitted she was bitter about the deal, because she wanted Johnny on her squad!!

The FCF is a fast-paced, full-contact, 7-on-7 league -- with teams competing on a 50-yard field. All of the games will take place at a facility in Atlanta, where Montgomery is based.

Montgomery says she'll expand on her decision to buy into the team on her podcast "Remotely Renee," which drops on Tuesday.

The season kicks off in February -- and all of the 60-minute games will be live streamed on Twitch. The league says they've already locked in players who formerly competed in the CFL, XFL and Division 1 college football.

Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde are a couple, and the reason we know this is that they were at a wedding over the weekend holding hands and very much together.

Harry was invited to a small wedding in Montecito, CA near Santa Barbara for the wedding of his manager, Jeffrey Azoff. There were only 16 people present, and it was specifically limited to ensure everyone was safe from the virus.

Harry brought Olivia as his plus one, we're told, and they were holding hands during the event.

Harry actually officiated the wedding for Jeffrey and his bride Glenne Christiaansen, who works for Apple Music.

Harry and Olivia, who is directing Harry in the upcoming movie, "Don't Worry Darling," stayed at the San Ysidro Ranch, also in Montecito.

Uncle Sam is coming after the big cats at Jeff Lowe's zoo, all because of a euthanized tiger cub ... but he says he had no choice.

Here's the deal ... the feds want to seize a bunch of big cats the 'Tiger King' star is looking after at his zoo in Oklahoma, following what they say was an unauthorized euthanasia.

According to new docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds claim Jeff put down a tiger -- which they insist is a big no-no without Uncle Sam's blessing -- so the feds are asking him to hand over all his big cats that are a year old or younger, plus their mothers.

But, Jeff says it's not his fault, telling TMZ ... he noticed a young cub, almost 6 months old, limping around its enclosure. He says the cub was pulled from its mother and taken to a veterinarian for x-rays.

Jeff tells us the vet diagnosed the cub with metabolic bone disease, and said the animal needed to be euthanized ... so they did.

Remember ... the USDA last year claimed the animals at Jeff's zoo were in "serious danger" because they were allegedly getting substandard care.

Nicki Minaj's being sued for more than $200 million over her song "Rich Sex" ... which a Queens rapper claims she ripped off after he played it for her.

Jawara Headley -- a Queens rapper who goes by Brinx Billions -- is suing Nicki, claiming he let her hear his version of "Rich Sex" sometime before 2016. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Brinx claims Nicki told him it would be extremely marketable and become a global hit.

But, Brinx -- who calls himself a songwriter, artist, music producer, composer and rapper -- claims Nicki jacked his song and put it on her "Queen" album. Although, he's not credited as such ... Brinx insists he's the sole author/creator/composer/writer/producer of "Rich Sex."

Brinx says he's known Nicki since 2007, when they met on MySpace, but he's still pissed his pal allegedly ripped specific lyrics, such as ... "It ain't such a thing as broke and handsome." Beyond lyrics, he says her song also has similar music, musical notes, musical arrangement, musical beats and musical rhythm.

Brinx is suing Minaj, along with Universal Music Group, Young Money, and Cash Money, for more than $200 million in damages. We've reached out for comment, so far no word back.

Tanya Roberts -- a one-time Bond girl and cult classic '80s star -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Tanya's rep tells TMZ, she was on a walk with her dogs on Christmas Eve and when she returned home she collapsed. She was taken to the hospital and put on a ventilator but never got better. We're told it was NOT COVID-related. Tanya died Sunday.

In the days leading up to her collapse, we're told Tanya appeared perfectly healthy ... even doing video chats for her fans.

Tanya was a go-to model and actress in her heyday -- so much so, she even appeared as one of the Bond girls, Stacey Sutton, in "A View to a Kill," opposite Roger Moore.

She also starred in campy adventure fantasy flicks like "Sheena" and "The Beastmaster," plus a bunch of raunchy comedies, slashers movies and action/erotica B-films like "Sins of Desire," "Legal Tender," "Deep Down," "Inner Sanctum," "Night Eyes," "Almost Pregnant," "Favorite Deadly Sins" and "Tourist Trap," plus several others. All-in-all, she has 41 acting credits to her name dating back to '70s.

Speaking of that era, she might best remembered as Donna Pinciotti's mom, Midge, on "That '70s Show" -- who was always getting ogled by the boys in the neighborhood. Tanya was portrayed as a dumb blonde, who eventually left her TV family and the show entirely to deal with her hubby's real-life illness.

Tanya also had a year-long stint on the old "Charlie's Angels" show, in which she played Julie Rogers ... a side character who helped the Angels solve crimes. She also helped launch the TV series 'Mike Hammer' after starring as a secretary in the made-for-TV movie, but declined a part in the show that followed.

Of course, Tanya was also a successful model. She'd posed for Playboy, as well as for a ton of TV commercials. She did ads for Excedrin, Ultra Brite, Clairol and Cool Ray sunglasses.

She was married to Barry Roberts for several years before his death in 2006. They didn't have any children. Tanya is survived by her current husband, Lance, and her sister Barbara Chase.

She was 65.

RIP

It's hard to keep track of how many times Joe Biden's been confirmed as the next U.S. President, but there are still some formalities left to make it official ... and D.C. officials are concerned the next one could lead to more civil unrest.

Congress is set to convene January 6 to officially count the electoral votes and certify the winner of the election ... which ended with 306 votes for Biden and 232 for Trump.

TMZ's learned the nation's capital is preparing for the large scheduled protest by Trump supporters -- starting January 5 -- and ending on the 7th.

Obviously, officials are worried the protests could get out of hand and lead to violent clashes with counter-protesters ... so police are being asked to step up in advance.

Trump has tweeted several times, promoting the main protest -- scheduled for January 6 -- and even teasing an appearance at the event.

Our law enforcement sources tell us ... D.C. cops will not be allowed to take days off from Jan. 5-7, and they're implementing a plan to have a heavy police presence in the area -- both uniformed and in street clothes.

On the political side ... Senator Ted Cruz is among 12 Republican Senators who have announced they'll challenge Biden's win on January 6.

MMA star Anthony Pettis says that he's 100 percent down to fight Jake Paul ... and he's willing to do it in the boxing ring -- a place where he has no experience.

But, Jake does -- he's 2-0 as a professional boxer.

TMZ Sports talked to the 33-year-old fighter before his unanimous decision UFC Fight Night win over Alex Morono in Vegas ... and Pettis was crystal clear -- he wants to box before he retires, and Jake Paul would make for a helluva opponent.

"Bro, I would love to box. I haven't boxed yet, so I'm 0-0. Boxing is something I grew up watching my whole life. That's why I got into fighting, honestly. Watching Chavez, De La Hoya, Mayweather, all these guys up and coming."

Of course, Paul knocked former NBA star Nate Robinson out cold over a month ago. There's been debate about how good JP actually is in the squared circle ... but Pettis believes Jake has skills.

"I think he's definitely getting better. He prepared for a boxing match. You could tell he was in boxing shape, he was in a stance at least. It's going to be interesting to see how far he can go with it."

Even if it's not against Jake Paul, Pettis -- a former UFC champ with wins over guys like "Cowboy" Cerrone and "Wonderboy" Thompson -- says he's gonna give boxing a shot before he retires from fighting.

"Man, I'm only 33, and I've been doing this MMA thing for so long. 12 years with Zuffa. So as a pro, I think I've been like 14 years. It's a crazy life I live. I'd love to go in there and try something new," Pettis tells us.

Bottom line ... "I definitely think before I retire boxing will be something I do."

Selena's brother says her posthumous lifetime achievement award is bittersweet ... but the family's ready and willing to accept it on her behalf at next month's Grammys.

A.B. Quintanilla tells TMZ ... he's hopeful Selena's parents can join the rest of the family in accepting the award in-person at the Grammys, but if it's still not safe for mom and dad due to the pandemic, he'd love to be there with their sister, Suzette.

A.B. also realizes the whole Grammys ceremony might have to go virtual. No problem ... the mega-producer behind some of Selena y Los Dinos' biggest songs has grand plans to turn his sister's award into a family affair. He says they've got their popcorn ready.

He also says it feels like Selena's still here whenever she wins an award or sets new records ... even though it's been a quarter-century since she was murdered.

Could T.J. Watt one day be the NFL's all-time leader in sacks???

Bruce Smith -- the current sack record-holder -- certainly thinks so ... telling TMZ Sports the Pittsburgh Steelers star is "the one we want to watch now because he's young."

Smith has held the all-time sacks mark since 2003, when he logged his 200th career QB takedown ... and nobody has come close to the number since.

Guys like J.J. Watt and Von Miller -- two of the best of this generation -- barely have over 100, and their careers are winding down.

So, we had to ask ... does Smith think anybody will be able to get to his mark eventually??

Smith says it's certainly possible -- telling us the rules of the game will change enough for players to have a shot -- but he says everything has to break the right way for a player to hit 200.

"You have to understand there has to be a level of consistency that will last for 14, 15 years," Bruce says. "So, there are a lot of factors that go against you from being able to, heck, even reach 130 sacks or 140 sacks."

"The number one factor is health," Smith added.

Bruce says guys like Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald could do it ... but the Buffalo Bills legend believes T.J. Watt might possibly have the most realistic shot.

FYI -- T.J. has 47.5 sacks through his first 3-plus seasons ... which Smith says he's impressed by.