Welcome to the final installment of The Intelligence Brief of 2023… in this year-end roundup edition, we’ll be looking at several of the most-read stories of the year brought to you by The Debrief. Looking back on the last twelve months, stories we’ll be featuring include 1) how a new form of consumer energy technology could one day replace solar panels, 2) one of the most remarkable things NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted on the Moon this year, and 3) how the world learned about an alleged secret program that has illegally withheld information about “craft of non-human origin” from the U.S. Congress.
Quote of the Week
“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.”
— William E. Vaughan
Latest News: In recent coverage from The Debrief, we’ve taken a look at the key discoveries made in 2023 by the James Webb Space Telescope that are expanding our view of the cosmos, as well as the top five of some of our favorite stories, scientific movements, and technological developments from 2023. You’ll find links to all our recent stories and other items at the end of this newsletter.
Podcasts: In podcasts from The Debrief, this week on The Debrief Weekly Report, Steph and MJ finish up 2023 with their final news roundup of the year, while over on The Micah Hanks Program, I’m joined by J.P. Hague, a dual national and qualified lawyer who joins me to discuss 2023’s UAP legislation. You can get all The Debrief’s podcasts by heading over to our Podcasts Page.
Video News: In the latest installment of Rebelliously Curious, Chrissy Newton is joined by Paul Root Wolpe, Ph.D., as they delve into the world of genetic engineering, and the fascinating intersection of science, ethics, and the future of life. Also check out the latest episode of Ask Dr. Chance, and all the other great content from The Debrief on our official YouTube Channel.
With housekeeping now taken care of, it’s time to take a look back at 2023, and revisit some of our biggest stories from the year.
Forget Solar Panels, Here Come Rain Panels
Readers of The Debrief love a good story about practical breakthroughs in energy. On July 25th, The Debrief’s head science writer Christopher Plain treated us to a potential vision of the future, and one where a new kind of energy-harvesting technology could provide electricity even on rainy days.
“In a potentially game-changing breakthrough in energy harvesting, researchers have found a way to capture, store and utilize the electrical power generated by falling raindrops, which may lead to the development of rooftop, power-generating rain panels,” Plain wrote.
“Previous attempts to generate power from failing rain have run into specific technical hurdles that often seemed impossible to surpass, but the researchers behind this new method say they have found a solution that may finally make such rain panels as popular, if not more so, than solar panels.” You can read Christopher’s entire article here.
Look What NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Just Spotted on the Moon
In September, I shared with our readers a look at something mysterious that NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) managed to locate and photograph on the surface of the Moon: the landing site of a spacecraft recently sent to the lunar surface by India’s space program.
“Chandrayaan-3 is the third mission in the Chandrayaan program, a set of moon missions launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO),” the September 6, 2023 article read. “From its position in orbit, the LRO successfully spotted and photographed the Indian spacecraft’s landing site, which can be seen in the center of the image below as a dark spot surrounded by a lighter ‘halo’ of white.”
You can read all about how the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter obtained the images by reading the full article here. And now last, but certainly not least, is the story that not only proved to be The Debrief’s biggest story of the year, but also one of the biggest stories of 2023, and perhaps also what may prove to be the catalyst for one of history’s biggest revelations.
Intelligence Officials Say U.S. Has Retrieved Craft of Non-Human Origin
On June 5, 2023, The Debrief published a story detailing a complaint filed with the Intelligence Community Inspector General, which alleged that information has been illegally withheld from Congress about past acquisitions by the U.S. of exotic technologies believed to be of non-human origin.
Written by journalists Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal, the co-authors of a series of articles that have appeared in The New York Times since late 2017 dealing with the subject of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), the article published by The Debrief in June was the first to bring public attention to David Grusch, a former National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) employee who claimed to have knowledge of efforts to conceal information about these exotic technologies the U.S. possesses.
Following the publication of the story in The Debrief, Grusch’s story received additional attention after an interview with the whistleblower, conducted by Australian journalist Ross Coulthart, aired on NewsNation. What ensued over the next several weeks was nothing short of remarkable, including Congressional hearings, and widespread media coverage of the story that, as 2023 draws to a close, remains one of the hottest topics in the ongoing debate involving what the Pentagon now calls unidentified anomalous phenomena.
On behalf of everyone at The Debrief, it has been our honor and privilege to bring stories like these, and many more, to our readers over the last several months. If 2023 has been any indication of things to come, 2024 is already looking to be another landmark year… and we sincerely look forward to continuing to bring you the very best in science, technology, defense, and other items of interest for the rebelliously curious out there.
That concludes this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief. You can read past editions of The Intelligence Brief at our website, or if you found this installment online, don’t forget to subscribe and get future email editions from us here. Also, if you have a tip or other information you’d like to send along directly to me, you can email me at micah [@] thedebrief [dot] org, or Tweet at me @MicahHanks.
Here are the top stories we’re covering right now…
- Intelligence: The Path Toward Exponential Growth
What is the mark of a genius? The ability to reach a solution through an unforeseen shortcut instead of a random walk or an elaborate effort.
- The James Webb Space Telescope Has Changed Our View of the Cosmos in 2023. Here Are Some of This Year’s Best Images and Greatest Discoveries.
Here are some of the key discoveries made in 2023 by the James Webb Space Telescope that are expanding our view of the cosmos.
- 1,200-Year-Old Artifacts Depicting Cosmogonic Myth of Creation Point to Unknown Pagan Cult
Archeologists have discovered a set of 1,200-year-old belt fittings depicting symbols associated with a cosmogonic myth of creation that may point to an unknown medieval pagan cult.
- The Top 5 Science and Tech Topics That Make 2023 a Year to Remember
A quick top 5 list of some of our favorite stories, scientific movements, and technological developments from 2023.
- Revealed: Science Offers The Surprising Truth Behind Football’s Home-Field Advantage
Explore the intriguing role of home-field advantage in football with groundbreaking scientific insights.
- Unlocking the Potential: Embedded Vehicle Data for Enhanced Fleet Management by OEMs and TSPs
Embedded vehicle data is not merely a technological upgrade; it could well be the future of fleet management.
- This Startup is Developing a Fusion Propulsion Drive for Deep Space Travel That Could Reach Mars in Just Two Months
A startup founded in 2018 is developing a fusion propulsion drive poised to transform space travel, and it can go really freaking fast.
- A Dramatic Dilution of the Disclosure Process: A Temporary Shore Break Against The Waves of Change?
J.P. Hague, Barrister-at-Law, offers an international perspective on the legislative path and outcome of the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Act of 2023, also known as the “Schumer Amendment.”
- Scientists Locate Hidden ‘Alien’ World Previously Unknown to Science in One of Earth’s Most Extreme Regions
An ecosystem scientists are calling an “alien” environment has been revealed in one of the most remote and arid regions of the world, a discovery that could shed light on the origins of life on Earth and how exotic life forms on other planets may come to exist.
- Christmas in the Cosmos: The Most Festive Phenomena in Space
In this special holiday installment, we’ll be spending Christmas in the cosmos as we search for the most festive phenomena in space.
- Forget About OLEDs. The Department of Energy Is Funding the Development of PHOLEDs
Department of Energy-funded research shows phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes or PHOLEDs can last long enough for commercial use.
- Machine Learning Breakthrough Creates First Ever Automated AI Scientist
Researchers have built an artificial intelligence called Coscientist that can autonomously develop scientific research and experimentation.
- This One Physical Trait Could Cause Liberals to Vote for Trump, Conservatives for Biden
Research from the University of Toronto has found that this single physical trait could dramatically affect political behavior, including causing liberals to vote for Trump and conservatives for Biden.
- Catastrophic Disclosure: A Mitigation Plan
This week, we explore the concept of “catastrophic disclosure,” and whether mitigation strategies could help reduce the chances of harm resulting from uncontrolled or unplanned disclosure of the existence of non-human intelligence.