The Micah Hanks Program

This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we lead off with a recap of the debate over alleged samples of "alien" meta-materials, which are currently in the hands of Tom DeLonge's To the Stars Academy of Arts and Sciences. The samples were sold to TTSA by UFO researcher Linda Moulton Howe, who obtained them from the late radio host Art Bell. There are a number of odd stories of near-mythic proportions associated with them, and now even the U.S. Army is interested in studying the samples and any unusual properties they may possess.

To address this, we are then joined Chris Cogswell, who received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering focusing on the study of nanomaterials for use as catalysts and adsorbents from Northeastern University. He has a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and philosophy from the University of New Hampshire. He is the former MUFON Director of Research and is also is one of the hosts of the Mad Scientist podcast, which covers the history and philosophy of science, as well as fringe science claims throughout time. He often discusses UFOs on this program as well, which we are eager to delve into a bit with him here.

"One possibility we cannot ignore here," Cogswell says, "is that our current science may not be able to understand or determine the properties or applications for which a given material has been engineered." More broadly speaking, we wonder whether the same might not apply to any attempt at observing a significantly more advanced technology. We get Cogswell's opinions on this, in relation to the controversy surrounding the "alien metal" in the possession of the To the Stars Academy, and much more on this edition of The Micah Hanks Program.

Below are links to stories featured in this week's episode:

• UFO Researcher Explains Why She Sold 'Exotic' Metal to Tom DeLonge
• The Mad Scientist Podcast
• "The science of proving an object was created by an extraterrestrial civilization"

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On this week's edition of The Micah Hanks Program, we continue our discussion of what is widely known as The USS Nimitz UFO Incident, involving events that transpired in 2004 as the U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group 11 began detecting unusual radar returns during training operations off the Southern California coast.

Joining us in the first hour to discuss this is Emmy-Award winning producer and cinematographer David C. Beaty. Dave is a UFO researcher, journalist, and filmmaker, whose career in non-fiction television and documentary spans more than 25 years, with productions having aired on the Travel Channel, History Channel and PBS. Beaty's film, The Nimitz Encounters, features a culmination of his craft, including extensive use of 3D computer animation and graphics as well as electronic music and sound design all crafted by the filmmaker.

Then in the second hour, we are joined by Gary Voorhis and Ryan Weigelt, both of whom served with the Navy's Strike Carrier Group-11, which became involved in this unusual incident while sailing 100 miles off the coast of Southern California in 2004. Voorhis, a former Petty Officer 3rd Class Fire Controlman aboard the USS Princeton, was at the time of this incident one of the only system technicians for the Cooperative Engagement Capability and AEGIS Combat systems, which included the AN/SPY-1 Bravo radar system. Weigelt is former Leading Petty Officer and had been the power plant specialist of the SH-60B Seahawk helicopter.

Both men share facts and details with us about the systems they operated during their time in service with the US Navy Strike Carrier Group 11, and some of the possibilities they have considered about the famous USS Nimitz UFO incident of 2004.

Below are links to stories featured in this week's episode:

• The Nimitz Encounters by Filmmaker Dave Beatty

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On this edition of the program, after opening with news in the world of zoology that includes the rediscovery of a species that had been unseen for decades, as well as what science says about the closest living modern relatives to a gigantic "Sasquatch" that lived during the Ice Age, we shift our attention to the anniversary of one of the most important UFO incidents in modern history: the strange case of the Japanese Airlines 1628 incident, where a former fighter pilot and his crew were pursued by a massive unidentified flying object while passing over Alaska. We also touch on incidents involving strange aerial objects observed over U.S. missile launch sites and nuclear facilities, with the recurring theme of government secrecy pertaining to such cases.

Then later in the program we are joined by Tim McMillan, a retired law enforcement officer who presently works as an investigative journalist and freelance writer, whose recent Popular Mechanics piece discussed testimony given my numerous servicemen who were present during the widely discussed USS Nimitz UFO incident of 2004. Here again, some of those witnesses have discussed how information pertaining to the incident was later retrieved by individuals appearing to represent some government agency. We look at the facts surrounding this case, and ask the fundamental question, "what branch of government is collecting data about UFO incidents?"

Below are links to stories featured in this week's episode:

• 'Unfriendly' kangaroo on the loose in North Mississippi county
• Lost Species of Miniature Fanged 'Mouse Deer' Rediscovered in Vietnam
• Extinct giant ape directly linked to the living orangutan
• Japanese Airlines JAL1628 (November 17, 1986)
• Failure Shuts Down Squadron of Nuclear Missiles
• What's Going On In the Skies Over Western Air Bases?
• Popular Mechanics: The Witnesses
• The Nimitz Encounters by Filmmaker Dave Beatty

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On this episode of The Micah Hanks Program, we lead off with the latest update in the ongoing search for Amelia Earhart, as well as an unusual planetary appearance as one of Earth's neighbors makes a rare transit across the sun. We also discuss moon rocks, mystery objects falling from the sky, and our study of deep space with probes like Voyager 1 and 2, which might eventually be discovered one day by other civilizations far beyond our solar system.

Then later in the program, we turn our attention to one of the most influential minds of the 20th century, Charles Fort. It was Fort's The Book of the Damned--published one century ago this year--that ushered in a new era of thought in relation to anomalous phenomena in nature, sparking renewed interest and a wave of like-minded "heretics" that would follow in his footsteps. However, while Fort has been called "the man who invented the supernatural," arguably his most prescient contributions of all had to do with his collection of data pertaining to aerial anomalies, which seemingly anticipated our coming to awareness of UFOs.

We examine Fort's writings that dealt with these cultural predecessors to modern UFO reports, comparing the similarities and differences, and studying the way that the discussion has changed in relation to the topic since the "pre-UFO" era when Fort wrote his magnum opus on "Forteana."

Below are links to stories featured in this week's episode:

• Possible Bones of Amelia Earhart Sent in for Highly-Awaited DNA Testing
• Monday, Mercury Makes Rare Appearance with a Trek Across the Sun.
• NASA Opens Pristine Tube of Moon Dust From the Apollo Missions
• Voyager 2′s journey beyond the solar system reveals new cosmic secrets

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This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we lead off with a story of odd magic and the strange disappearance of the famous "Wizard Rock" bolder in Arizona, and the even more unusual reappearance of the massive stone several days later. We also touch on the "secret" society known as Freemasonry, and why they aren't actually as mysterious (anymore) as many would think.

Then getting to the heart of our conversation, we turn our attention back to a familiar topic, but with new questions: a flap of sightings in the skies over America between 1896 and 1897 of odd "airships" of unexplained origin. What was the source of lights that were being reported in various parts of the country, first in Sacramento, California, and later further East and in other locales? Many alleged inventors were appearing in the popular press of that era, some of whom had actually published designs for flying vehicles with the U.S. Patent Office.

Is it possible that some of the strange reports of lights, and even large cigar-shaped aircraft resembling dirigibles, could have been the result of intrepid inventors who were ahead of the aviation innovation game over America by a few years? If so, what can we learn about the broader UFO phenomenon from taking a historic approach to the study of odd things seen in the skies over time?

Below are links to stories featured in this week's episode:

• Science says living by water is good for you
• Giant 'Wizard Rock' Boulder Mysteriously Disappears And Reappears in Arizona
• Psssttt... Masonic Freemasons' secrets are not as mysterious as you think

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This week on The Micah Hanks Program, as Halloween is just around the corner, we bring in the season with tales of haunted houses, mysterious monstrous eggs found deep in the ocean, and a whistleblower's story of searching for extraterrestrials.

Then for our "Unidentified October" segment, we look at eerie stories of "ghost lights", and how geophysics might hold the key to understanding strange lights seen in the night in various places around the world for centuries. James Waldo, a professional geologist with the Army Corps of Engineers, has seen them on many occasions in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, and gives us a few ideas on what their causes might be.

Then in the conclusion to our Halloween series for 2019, we look to one of the most frightening and ubiquitous terrors of all time: that of the "Man in Black." Since ancient times, our fear of darkness has led us to view mysterious, black-clad strangers as omens or harbingers of misfortune. This universal theme of a mysterious evil force embodied in an odd, and at times a mischievous stranger, has become a staple of the horror novels written by "The Master Storyteller" Stephen King over the years. What are the origins of this ultimate evil, and why does it so often take the form of a mysterious "Man in Black," whether in fiction, folk traditions from around the world, or even modern literature pertaining to UFO encounters?

Below are links to stories featured in this week's episode:

• 'World's scariest haunted house' offers $20,000 to anyone who can finish it
• Divers Find Mysterious Giant Egg Floating in the Ocean
• Edward Snowden searched the CIA's networks for proof that aliens exist
• William R. Corliss: Quakes And Ufos
• Are nocturnal lights earthquake lights?
• Earthquake Lights And Crustal Deformation
• The untold truth of Randall Flagg from Stephen King's The Stand

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This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we lead off with a Halloween-themed news segment that looks at a pair of real "monsters" of nature, as well as a strange (and scary-looking) creature from Madagascar that locals call "cursed," and which has been keeping a remarkable secret. Also, we have the fright-inducing news about what constant exposure to blue light might actually be doing to us.

Then for our "Unidentified October" segment, we begin with a look at the news about Tom Delonge's To The Stars Academy's recent contract agreement with the U.S. Army, and what that means. We're also joined for a segment by author M.J. Banias, a writer for VICE and author of the book The UFO People. M.J. is a history teacher who offers both a historical and philosophical perspective on the UFO subject, as well as people's belief systems pertaining to it. You can learn more about M.J. at his blog Terra Obscura.

Then in the final half of the show, we continue our study of famous monsters of the horror genre with a look at one of the most famous horror novels of all time, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which has frightened readers and inspired countless versions and spinoffs in film and other media. However, the message behind the story and its misguided protagonist, Victor Frankenstein--a man who attempted to "play God" with terrible consequences--remains as strong today. Especially as we look at news like that of scientists who may be growing sentient brain matter in the laboratory... at one point should we say that such experiments have gone too far?

Below are links to stories featured in this week's episode:

• Scientists discover big storms can create 'stormquakes'
• 'Cursed' Primate Weirdos Have Extra Thumbs. Scientists Didn't Know About Them Until Now
• Daily exposure to blue light may accelerate aging, even if it doesn't reach your eyes
• The Army Just Contracted With Tom DeLonge's UFO Group to Study Those 'Alien Alloys'
• What We Know About The Army Teaming Up With Tom DeLonge's UFO Research Company
• Scientists 'may have crossed ethical line' in growing human brains
• Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

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This week on The Micah Hanks Program, as the passing weeks bring us closer to the Halloween season, we lead off with the discussion of cricket swarms in Texas that some have compared to Biblical plagues; we also touch on a set of mysterious footprints found by a North Carolina man. Elsewhere, one scientist thinks we found life on Mars... all the way back in 1976.

On the subject of alien life, a former government insider recently had a lot to say on the subject of UFOs in an op-ed for The Hill; we discuss the significance of the article, and the broader need for serious discussion of the National Security implications of the UFO subject. Then joining us by phone for an update is Brett Tingley, a writer for The Warzone who has been covering the curious case of a series of U.S. Navy patents that boast remarkably UFO-like technologies.

Then in the final portion of the program, we turn our attention to the myth and superstition involving lycanthropy and werewolves. In addition to being one of our favorite monsters from the Silver Screen, the "wolf man" is a cultural motif found all over the world, which comes in many shapes and forms. We also look at famous historical cases involving alleged "real life" werewolves, such as Peter Stubb, the infamous Wolf Man of Bedburg, and perhaps most curious of all, France's Beast of Le Gevaudan, which for some time was believed to have haunted the French countryside. What was this animal; was it merely a wolf, or something more?

Below are links to stories featured in this week's episode:

• Weather to blame for swarms of crickets in San Antonio
• 'Somebody's got a Bigfoot' in Western North Carolina
• I'm Convinced We Found Evidence of Life on Mars in the 1970s
• 3 reasons to investigate the US Navy UFO incidents
• NASA engineer's 'helical engine' may violate the laws of physics
• Legally Haunted' New York Mansion Is on the Market for $1.9 Million
• So, What's It Really Like to Sell a Haunted Home?

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On this edition of The Micah Hanks Program, we lead off with news of an exciting physics experiment where physicists caused a massive particle two appear in more than one place at the same time. Then we hear about China's success with growing plants on the far side of the moon, and why some researchers think pigs are displaying evidence of intelligence that was once reserved solely for humans. Meanwhile, mystery lights were filmed over the North Carolina coast... Micah gives us his thoughts about what their source might be, along with an update on the ongoing series of cattle mutilations being reported in Oregon.

Then we are joined by blogger Jazz Shaw, who shares his views on UFOs, the media, and what the shifting attitudes about the UFO subject mean in modern society. Although Shaw's background is in news, politics, and energy policy, he has more recently become one of the many commentators who has been introducing his audience to reporting on the UFO subject. He gives us a variety of perspectives on the topic, including discussion about the controversial claims made by Tom Delonge's To The Stars Academy, which says it may have samples of a substance that allegedly have exotic origins.

Below are links to stories featured in this week's episode:

• Physicists succeed at making 2000 atoms appear in two places at once
• China grows a cotton plant on the far side of the moon in a biological first
• Pigs were spotted using tools for the first time, a new study says
• Mutilated Cattle Continue To Be Found In Oregon After Decades Of Mystery
• Strange Lights Spotted in Cluster Over North Carolina Coast

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This week on the program, after recapping an excellent visit Micah had with Scott Philbrook of the Astonishing Legends podcast, we turn our attention to Elon Musk, the innovative (and at times erratic) inventor who is attempting to put humans on the Red Planet in the coming decades... and that may be precisely what one of his latest projects is aiming for.

Then getting to the heart of the discussion, the subject of Sasquatch is a perplexing enigma in American culture. Most would contend that the alleged creature is purely a staple of folklore, variants of which are found all around the world, in fact. It is true, after all, that there have been many high-profile hoaxes over the years, offered by some as "solutions" behind what little physical evidence for the Sasquatch does seem to exist. But are there some instances where the media may have leapt to conclusions prematurely about these hoaxes, rushing to judgment about their ability to explain the entire mystery?

In contrast to the hoax theories, we look at what archaeology, history, and some of the more reliable eyewitness encounters from over the years have to say on the matter. We also get the perspectives of former big game hunter and conservationist Peter Byrne, who spent several decades in search of Sasquatch in Oregon, California, and other Northwestern states. After presenting the "natural history" of what many would deem an unnatural subject, is there any case to be made for the existence of Sasquatch, despite its dismissal by modern science?

Below are links to stories featured in this week's episode:

• Elon Musk Unveils His Gigantic Starship Prototype, Says It'll Be Flying Within Months

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