This week, biologists are excited about what might be a unique protein found inside an ancient meteorite, which could have tremendous implications not just for alien life, but also raises questions about the origins of life here on Earth. Astronomers have also located what is believed to be evidence for the biggest explosion ever found in the cosmos, and an unusual, anaerobic life form that lives in the living tissue of another aquatic creature. 

We then turn our attention toward the topic of mystery aircraft and secretive black budget programs that the U.S. military has allegedly been involved with for decades. The history of spy planes and secret aircraft since the end of WWII begins at Area 51, the secret test facility at Groom Lake, Nevada, which has attained near-mythical status over the years for the rumors about UFO-like aircraft developed there. However, among the known kinds of aircraft that were built and flown out of the facility were the U-2 spy plane and its successor, the SR-71 Blackbird.

Since the SR-71 was decommissioned in 1990, many aerospace experts and UFO buffs alike have wondered what other kinds of top-secret, experimental aircraft might have been developed there over the years. Further questions surround reports of eerie, massive flying wings and "black triangles" seen in the skies over parts of the American southwestern deserts and various other locales. The Pentagon has maintained that no such aircraft exist... but if so, how can we account for the hundreds of sighting reports, which have led to investigations by organizations ranging from the Federation of American Scientists, to Robert Bigelow's National Institute for Discovery Science? Our deep-dive this week takes us beyond "Deep Black" as we go in search of answers behind the enduring mystery aircraft of Area 51. 

Enjoy The Micah Hanks Program? Check out Micah's other podcasts here. 

Below are links to stories and other content featured in this episode:

• Boom! Scientists spot the biggest known explosion in the universe
• Scientists Claim to Have Found The First Known Extraterrestrial Protein in a Meteorite
• Unique non-oxygen breathing animal discovered
• Archived Link to the Federation of American Scientists “Mystery Aircraft” Page
• President Reagan's State of the Union Speech 2/4/86
• Jack Northrop and the UFO-Lookin' Flying Wings
• From the Archives: “America’s New Top Secret Aircraft”
• “The Top-Secret Warplanes of Area 51” by Bill Sweetman (2006)
• Mystery Booms Caused by Supersonic Aircraft
• Aurora: The Pentagon's Secret Hypersonic Spyplane (Mil-Tech Series)
• Black Jets: The Development and Operation of America's Most Secret Warplane
• Area 51 - Black Jets: A History of the Aircraft Developed at Groom Lake, America's Secret Aviation Base

BECOME AN X SUBSCRIBER AND GET EVEN MORE GREAT PODCASTS AND MONTHLY SPECIALS FROM MICAH HANKS.

Sign up today and get access to the entire back catalog of The Micah Hanks Program, as well as “classic” episodes of The Gralien Report Podcast, weekly “additional editions” of the subscriber-only X Podcast, the monthly Enigmas specials, and much more.

Like us on Facebook

Follow @MicahHanks on Twitter

Follow Micah on Instagram

Visit Micah's Website and check out Our Podcast Page

Music featured on The Micah Hanks Program includes songs composed by Caleb Hanks (The Clerk Chronicles), Decepticons (Dreamland, Start the Machine) and Micah Hanks. All songs are either in the public domain, Royalty Free, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0, or are used with permission of the creators. Please note that some links to books and other items on this page may feature Amazon Associate links.