In 2023, a massive Chinese spy balloon drifted through U.S. airspace before being shot down off the South Carolina coast. Since that time, much has been learned about the notorious incident, which prompted some to consider whether a majority of the unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) observed by military personnel could be similar, relatively simple technologies used for surveillance of our warfighters. But is that really the case? 

This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we dive into surprising new revelations about the spy balloon incident, and why the mission of the DoD's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) involves far more than just tracking the balloons and drones of U.S. foreign adversaries. Finally, we also take a look at recent controversies surrounding the latest UAP event on Capitol Hill, and why a few developments behind the scenes are raising red flags within the UAP research community. 

Have you had a UFO/UAP sighting? Please consider reporting your sighting to the UAP Sightings Reporting System, a public resource for information about sightings of aerial phenomena.

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Show Notes

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

• NEWS: "I Thought I Was Witnessing End Times." Massive Green Fireball Spotted by Hundreds
• ASRS: NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System May Be Doomed 
• Federal Register Volume 90, Number 85 (Monday, May 5, 2025)
• SPY BALLOONS: 'Things got really crazy.' The shocking untold story of the Chinese spy balloon GRAVES: Spy balloons, drones and advanced UAP pose a clear and present danger 
• AARO: The mission of the DoD’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office
• UAP on Capitol Hill: Understanding UAP: Science, National Security & Innovation

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Recent advances in genetics and paleoanthropology are revealing a complex world where multiple hominin species coexisted, interbred, and left behind their DNA in modern populations. Fossils like the Denisovan jawbone Penghu-1 found in Taiwan and enigmatic remains from Red Deer Cave suggest that some archaic humans may have survived into the Holocene, much later than previously thought. Meanwhile, studies of modern genomes have uncovered “genetic ghosts”—traces of unknown ancient populations for which no physical remains have been found, particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia.

This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we look at these and other recent discoveries challenging our past thinking on ancient humans, which point to a tangled web of migrations and ancient interactions. We look at global folklore and indigenous traditions that describe reclusive, bipedal, humanlike creatures that bear striking similarities across cultures, which raise profound questions about how many kinds of humans once walked the Earth—and whether some still might.

Have you had a UFO/UAP sighting? Please consider reporting your sighting to the UAP Sightings Reporting System, a public resource for information about sightings of aerial phenomena.

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Show Notes

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

• NEWS: Trump and Zelensky hold war talks inside St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of pope’s funeral
• A carnivorous 'bone collector' caterpillar dresses in the remains of its prey  
• New Findings Cast Doubt on Spectral Evidence of Life on Distant Exoplanet K2-18b 
• The National Archives needs your help transcribing UFO and JFK files 
• Ross Coulthart says Ashton Forbes' MH370 theories aren't credible  
• PENGHU-1: A Mysterious Fossil from an Unknown Humanlike Species Once Baffled Scientists
• Discovery of “Lost” Species, 'Homo Juluensis,' Challenges Accepted Ideas on Early Hominin Evolution
• A Genetic Ghost Hunt: What Ancient Humans Live On In Our DNA?
• A Humanlike “Living Fossil” Could Still Be Alive in Indonesia, This Anthropologist Says
• The Relict Hominoid Inquiry: Idaho State University

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This week, the potential discovery of signs of biosignatures in the atmosphere of a distant planet has aliens on the minds of many scholars. Meanwhile, a recently published study, “Exploring expert figures in alien-related UFO conspiracy theories” investigates how “expert figures”—including scientists, self-proclaimed researchers, and UFO witnesses—are used to legitimize alien-related conspiracy theories online. But what do these findings really indicate about conspiracy theories about UFOs, as well as academic views toward the UAP subject?

This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we look at how key findings in the new study point to concerning trends that have recently emerged in the UAP research community, as well as potential biases in academic ideas toward the subject. We also look at the myth of the "UFO expert," NASA's lack of progress in UAP, and much more. 

Have you had a UFO/UAP sighting? Please consider reporting your sighting to the UAP Sightings Reporting System, a public resource for information about sightings of aerial phenomena.

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Show Notes

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

• NEWS: Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff who ministered with a charming, humble style, dies at 88 
• Joe Nickell, Paranormal Investigator and ‘Real-Life Scully,’ Dies at 80
• Hegseth shared detailed military plans in second Signal chat that included his wife and brother
• The White House has begun process of looking for new secretary of defense 
• ALIENS? Strongest hints yet of biological activity outside the solar system 
• UFO CONSPIRACY: Exploring expert figures in alien-related UFO conspiracy theories
• New Film The Age of Disclosure Alleges Government Cover-Up of UFOs, but BU Expert Is Skeptical

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In 2004, an incident involving an unidentified aerospace vehicle encountered by personnel serving aboard the USS Nimitz carrier strike group off the Baja California coast gave rise to one of the most widely-discussed UAP incidents in modern history. Now, new information has come to light about a similar 2023 incident, reported by personnel aboard the USS Jackson who say they observed—and filmed—four similar objects, one of which was allegedly tracked as it emerged from the water. 

This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we dive into the latest news about the USS Jackson UAP case, how it came to light, and what independent analysis of the video footage showing two of the objects has revealed. We also look at recent claims involving UAP made public by the Skywatcher team, and what all these newly released UAP images and video reveal about the current debate over anomalous objects in our skies. 

Have you had a UFO/UAP sighting? Please consider reporting your sighting to the UAP Sightings Reporting System, a public resource for information about sightings of aerial phenomena.

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Show Notes

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

• NEWS: NASA science budget faces massive cuts in Trump proposal 
• James Webb Space Telescope Captures a Planet Being Consumed by Its Star for the First Time 
• Viral CIA file about aliens attacking soldiers takes off with UFO intrigue
• TIC-TACS: Navy crew reports dramatic encounter eerily similar to iconic 'Tic Tac' incident
• The USS Jackson "Tic-tac" UAP Discussion Thread (via Metabunk)

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In what is likely to be one of the major science stories of the year, Texas-based Colossal Biosciences has brought the dire wolf—or at least something very close to this ice age canine—back from extinction, with the help of genetic engineering. The remarkable achievement has been met with awe, praise, and also controversy, as experts debate the exact nature of the "dire wolves" the company has created, as well as the implications of the breakthrough and the creation of what some might call life not as we know it.  

This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we take a look at the remarkable news, as well as the current state of genetic science, and whether it could one day be used on humans. Finally, we also turn our attention toward popular science fiction and bizarre theories regarding alien life, and whether questions about human contact with non-human forms of intelligence might involve advanced genetic engineering. 

Have you had a UFO/UAP sighting? Please consider reporting your sighting to the UAP Sightings Reporting System, a public resource for information about sightings of aerial phenomena.

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Show Notes

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

• NEWS: US stocks whipsaw on tariff uncertainty, social media rumors 
• Perseverance Rover Witnesses One Martian Dust Devil Eating Another
• Groundbreaking Discovery at “Unusual” Ancient Burial Site Rewrites Neolithic History
• Camera set up to catch Loch Ness Monster unearthed
• COLOSSAL: The Dire Wolf, an Extinct Canine that Roamed Prehistoric America, Has Been Resurrected 
• RISE OF ‘HOMO SUPERIOR’: Could we make a superhuman?
• NEW FRONTIERS: Could CRISPR be used to Cre ate New Species?

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For many decades, agencies within the United States government have collected information on a range of different unexplained phenomena. From military encounters involving UFOs, to possible evidence of ancient mysteries collected during reconnaissance missions by spy planes, several examples of the U.S. government's "anomaly files" have been made public through inquiries under the Freedom of Information Act. 

This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we look at the Defense Department's current investigations into unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), along with questions that remain about one of its most famous cases. Finally, we also explore claims revealed in CIA files involving remote viewing, the discovery of the mythical "Ark of the Covenant," and an anomaly spotted on a mountainside in Turkey during Cold War-era CIA spy plane reconnaissance flights.   

Have you had a UFO/UAP sighting? Please consider reporting your sighting to the UAP Sightings Reporting System, a public resource for information about sightings of aerial phenomena.

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Show Notes

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

• NEWS: Private Data and Passwords of Senior U.S. Security Officials Found Online
• A stroke survivor speaks again with the help of an experimental brain-computer implant 
• Fish use tools too, new research reveals
• AARO: U.S. Government's Top UFO Scientist Has an Open Mind About Alien Contact 
• THE NIMITZ INCIDENT: 
• ARK OF THE COVENANT? CIA found the Ark of the Covenant by using psychics, declassified files claim 
• THE ARARAT ANOMALY: CIA evidence of Noah's Ark on Mt. Ararat?
• CIA Files Related to the "Ararat Anomaly" at The Black Vault 
• CIA's covert hunt for Noah's Ark sparks new questions amid claims Biblical boat has been found

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On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, became the victim of an assassin's bullet during a motorcade visit through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. Although the Warren Commission later concluded Kennedy's assassination had been the work of one man, Lee Harvey Oswald, questions have remained about what other information might remain in holdings of the intelligence community. 

Last week, the latest in an ongoing declassification of records related to the assassination made additional JFK files available to the public. On this episode of The Micah Hanks Program, we look at what the new documents reveal about Kennedy's death, the CIA and Cold War espionage, the birth of the "Deep State," and also claims that UFOs may have been somehow linked to Kennedy's untimely death in 1963. 

Have you had a UFO/UAP sighting? Please consider reporting your sighting to the UAP Sightings Reporting System, a public resource for information about sightings of aerial phenomena.

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Show Notes

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

• NEWS: FBI Warns Americans to ‘Exercise Vigilance’ at Tesla Dealerships After Multiple Arsons 
• Children Glued to Phones More Likely to Become High-Strung, Depressed Teens 
• PYRAMID CONTROVERSY: Experts clash over ‘underground city’ beneath pyramids
• JFK: JFK Assassination Records - 2025 Documents Release | National Archives 
• Newly Released JFK Files Reveal More About CIA Than Conspiracies
• 'Exciting' but no bombshells: four key JFK files takeaways

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It is one of the greatest questions humankind has ever faced: are we alone in the cosmos? If alien life on other worlds exists, are there intelligent forms that may be capable of communication? Or is it even possible that some form of non-human intelligence might already be present closer to Earth than we realize?

This week on The Micah Hanks Program, in our ongoing discussions about the possibility of exotic life forms and the possibility of non-human intelligence, we discuss a potential strategy for research that examines where life might be found, in what forms it may appear, and whether it could be lurking nearby unrecognized by modern science.

Have you had a UFO/UAP sighting? Please consider reporting your sighting to the UAP Sightings Reporting System, a public resource for information about sightings of aerial phenomena.

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Show Notes

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

• NEWS: NASA Launches New Space Telescope and Suite of Solar Satellites
• Do Aliens Know We’re Here? | Scientific American 
• ALIEN LIFE: Can We Find Life? - NASA Science 
• Search for extraterrestrial intelligence
• Are We Alone? - NASA Science 
• The Search for Extraterrestrial Life as We Don't Know It
• UAPs and Non-Human Intelligence: What is the most reasonable scenario?

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Are we entering a "Dark Age of Science?" Recent controversies involving phenomena in our universe that include the ongoing debate over dark matter and dark energy, as well as the existence of what some astronomers call "dark comets", have led to controversy about our perspectives on the cosmos... but to what end? Further, are recent cultural and societal events in the world spelling doom for science, including efforts to determine whether we're alone in the universe? 

Joining us this week on The Micah Hanks Program is Avi Loeb, the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University, where since 2007 he has been Director of the Institute for Theory and Computation at the Center for Astrophysics. He is founder of The Galileo Project, and author of books that include Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth and Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars. Avi joins us to discuss his latest work, the search for ET, scientific dogma, and much more. 

Have you had a UFO/UAP sighting? Please consider reporting your sighting to the UAP Sightings Reporting System, a public resource for information about sightings of aerial phenomena.

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Show Notes

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

• NEWS: Introducing the 'Woolly Mouse': Colossal Unveils Latest Breakthrough in De-Extinction Technology  
• Rodent for dinner? US residents encouraged to eat invasive nutria
• STAND UP FOR SCIENCE: Official Website for “Stand Up for Science” 
• SCU CONFERENCE: 2025 SCU Conference 
• AVI LOEB: Avi Loeb | Department of Astronomy 
• DARK AGES: The Dark Age of Science. Names do not constitute knowledge
• COMMENTARIES: Avi Loeb’s Essays on Medium 
• BOOKS: Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth
• Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars
• TEXTS: How Did the First Stars and Galaxies Form?
• The First Galaxies in the Universe
• Life In The Cosmos: From Biosignatures To Technosignatures

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In late 2019, residents of Colorado and Nebraska were perplexed by a sudden wave of mystery drone sightings that, to date, remain unexplained. The bizarre incidents led to widespread concern among locals in many rural midwestern communities, which bore an undeniable similarity to recent sightings of mystery drones in the skies over New Jersey that captivated the nation.

Joining us this week on The Micah Hanks Program is Gabe Lenners, a television and radio host, journalist, podcaster, and host of the new podcast OBSCURUM, which dives into the heart of the 2019 Colorado drone mystery. Lenners discusses his in-depth investigation into the mystery drone incidents, and the perplexing twists that emerged in the case that included strange sightings by locals, alleged animal mutilations, and mysterious individuals who may have been connected to the mystery.

Have you had a UFO/UAP sighting? Please consider reporting your sighting to the UAP Sightings Reporting System, a public resource for information about sightings of aerial phenomena.

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Show Notes

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

• NEWS: Ukraine Mineral Deal Is in Peril After Trump-Zelensky Meeting: What We Know
• Musk “thinks he would know” it there were secret UAP programs and tech
• OBSCURUM: Season 1: Invasion of the Drones 
• Gabe Lenners: Official Website

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