What Time is the Solar Eclipse on August 12? Here’s Everything You Need to Know
A total solar eclipse will be ocurring today (Wednesday, August 12, 2026). Here's what you need to know about where and how to see it.
Micah Hanks
Micah Hanks is creator, co-founder, and Editor-in-Chief of The Debrief. He covers science, defense, and technology in his writing and podcasts, and you can find him at micahhanks.com and on X @MicahHanks.
Mysterious Ancient Inscriptions Decoded, a Phobos Photobomb, a New Time Crystal, and New Evidence of Neolithic Technology
This week, we look at archaeologists decoding mysterious stone inscriptions, a rare cosmic alignment over Mars, and more stories in the news.
James Webb Space Telescope Data Reveals a Previously Undiscovered ‘Gravitational Arc’ That Was Hidden in Plain Sight
A previously undiscovered candidate for a cosmic gravitational phenomenon has been uncovered, in a surprise discovery made from JWST observations.
Look: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Captures Striking New Images That Bring the ‘Lion Nebula’ Roaring to Life
Stunning new imagery of the distant celestial object NGC 2392, better known as the “Lion Nebula,” has been obtained by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
A Bizarre Dead Star’s Magnetic Field Has Revealed a Strange Surprise, Potentially Confirming a 90-Year-Old Theory
New research reveals a magnetar that appears to display a phenomenon first predicted almost a century ago, but never directly observed.
Look What NASA’s Perseverance Rover Just Spotted Vanishing Behind the Martian Moon Phobos
An extraordinary event recently occurred in the twilight skies above Mars, and it was all captured on camera by NASA’s Perseverance rover.
These Curious Ancient Greek Artifacts Have Extraterrestrial Origins—Why They Vanished 3000 Years Ago Remains a Mystery
New evidence suggests high-status individuals in ancient Greek society wore jewelry with origins that were literally out-of-this-world.
Mysterious Engravings on Rare 9,000-Year-Old Projectiles May Reveal a Forgotten Symbolic Tradition in Ancient Anatolia
A collection of unusual 9,000-year-old engraved projectiles reveal the existence of a mysterious ancient symbolic tradition.
This ‘Ancient’ Spacecraft Keeps Defying Death—But How Much Longer Will Its Extended Mission Last?
This week, engineers at NASA’s JPL succeeded in once again extending the lifespan of one of the space agency’s most iconic spacecraft.
Archaeologists Uncover 11,500-Year-Old Evidence That Could Rewrite the Origins of Ceramic Technology in Southwest Asia
A discovery by archaeologists at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of Çemka Höyük in southeastern Turkey is extending the accepted timelines on the origins of ancient ceramic technology.
An Out-of-Control SpaceX Rocket May Have Struck the Moon with the Force of Three Tons of TNT—Here’s What We Know
A portion of an out-of-control SpaceX rocket is believed to have collided with the Moon on Wednesday, producing a new impact crater.
Rubin Observatory Reveals More Than Half a Million Galaxies in Landmark First Science Image
A breathtaking view of the cosmos featuring more than half a million galaxies has been released by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
Mystery of Martian “Honeycombs” Deepens with Discovery of Unusual Patterns by NASA’s Curiosity Rover
NASA’s Curiosity rover continues to uncover unusual polygon-shaped features resembling “honeycombs” on the Red Planet.
“The Images Reveal a Remarkably Unusual Object”: Astronomers Just Discovered an Odd Three-Lobed Asteroid—And It’s Not Traveling Alone
Astronomers have made a surprising discovery about one of the brightest space rocks in the main asteroid belt.
3,500-Year-Old Hittite “Storm God” Crafted from Arsenical Copper Reveals Evidence of Advanced Metalworking Rarely Seen in Tiny Bronze Age Artifacts
A tiny depiction of an ancient "storm god" is offering a rare glimpse at the remarkable technical skills of the Hittite world.
Going Rogue: How an OpenAI “Agent” Escaped, Accessed the Web, and Launched a Cyberattack on a Machine Learning Company
This week, an OpenAI model escaped its testing environment and invaded the systems of another New York-based AI company.
A Rare Celestial Alignment Links Two Ancient Volcanoes in This Spectacular New Image Shared by NASA
Barnard's Loop appears behind a pair of South American peaks in one of the most breathtaking astronomy images in recent memory.
Impulse Space Unveils New Electric Propulsion System to Enable Hybrid Spaceflight Strategy for Extended Missions
Impulse Space reveals its new electric propulsion system designed to extend the capabilities of spacecraft during long space missions.
Deep in a Spanish Cave, Archaeologists Discovered a Puzzling Set of Ancient Inscriptions—Could They Be Evidence of a Mysterious Subterranean Cult?
A remarkable collection of ancient inscriptions within a cave in eastern Spain is providing archaeologists with deep new insights into the ancient religious practices it once housed.
Antarctica’s Unusual Islands, 5,000-Year-Old ‘Sophisticated’ Egyptian Technology, and a 1.4-Million-Year-Old Fossil Surprise
This week in stories we're covering at The Debrief... recent NASA satellite imagery, archaeological discoveries, and more are in the news.
Satellite Images Revealed Something Unusual About the Color of These Antarctic Islands—Here’s the Odd Reason Behind Their Appearance
Satellite imagery reveals why the Danger Islands have an odd pink-orange color, and what that means for this fragile ecosystem.
5,000-Year-Old Blue Pigment Reveals Evidence of Ancient Egyptian Nanotechnology—Now It’s Finding New Life in Biomedical Imaging
5000-year-old nanotechnology from the ancient world known as "Egyptian blue" is offering innovative modern uses in biomedical imaging.
5,000-Year-Old Egyptian Tomb Discovery Reveals “Sophisticated” Knowledge That Challenges Past Thinking on the Origins of the Pyramids
5,000 years ago Egyptian builders were using architectural techniques that foreshadowed those seen in the pyramids, new evidence suggests.
2000-Acre Wildfire Near Famous ‘Area 51’ Rages on as Officials Work to Stall its Spread
A massive wildfire that scorched the Nevada desert near the U.S. Air Force’s classified Area 51 facility over the weekend has now exceeded 2,000 acres.
Utah’s Game-Changing Million-Panel Solar Energy Project Was Just Captured in New Satellite Images
Utah's massive new Green River Energy Center boasts a million solar panels and close to 500 batteries spanning several square miles.
In One of Africa’s Deepest Lakes, Scientists Have Found a Species No One Expected Swimming at Incredible Depths
A remarkable discovery has been made in East Africa’s Lake Malawi, one of the deepest bodies of water on the African continent.
AARO’s Latest UAP Report Finds No Evidence of Exotic Technology, But Mysteries Remain
This week, the Pentagon's AARO finally released its long-delayed Fiscal Year 2025 report. Here's what we know.
How Did Fish Suddenly Appear in the Empty Waters of Ancient Norwegian Lakes? A 7000-Year-Old Archaeological Discovery Provides the Answer
7,000-year-old fish traps reveal the clues to the longstanding mystery of when fish were initially placed in high mountain Norwegian lakes.
Scientists Warn Something is Vanishing from Earth’s Oceans at an Alarming Rate, Driving the Planet Into an “Unsafe Space”
Scientists are sounding the alarm over the concerning loss of oxygen in Earth’s oceans and freshwater systems.
An “Impossible” Physics Breakthrough, Hannibal’s Elephants, and an “Unusual” Underwater Archaeological Discovery
This week in stories we're tracking at The Debrief, we look at an "impossible" physics breakthrough, the mystery of Hannibal's elephants, and more.
Researchers Have Created a 3D Thermal Cloak That Renders Objects Invisible to Heat
A three-dimensional thermal cloak can conceal objects from heat, paving the way toward new military stealth technologies.
600-Year-Old Sunken Discovery Stuns Underwater Archaeologists Who “Expected a More Recent Date” For Unusual Find
Archaeologists are investigating an unusual underwater discovery revealed deep within Germany’s Lake Constance.
Smaller Than a Grain of Sand, This Tiny Quantum Heat Engine Makes Heat into Useful Work Near Absolute Zero—Could It Revolutionize Quantum Computing?
Researchers have revealed a microscopic engine that can convert heat into useful work while operating at temperatures only fractions of a degree above absolute zero.
NASA’s Psyche Mission Captures Crescents and Surface Details During Recent Martian Flyby
New imagery released by NASA has revealed a growing “crescent” and surface details on Mars obtained by the agency’s Psyche spacecraft.
An ‘Asteroid’ Tracked Since 1998 Made an Unexplained Orbital Shift—Now Astronomers Say It’s Something Far More Mysterious
Astronomers say an asteroid recently failed to appear where it was predicted to be, revealing a "dark" twist after decades of observations.
Sunlight at Night? Astronomers Fire Back at Controversial FCC Approval of Reflect Orbital’s Eärendil-1 Mirror Satellite
This week, a controversy has erupted over the FCC’s approval of a proof-of-concept satellite that reflects daylight to Earth at night.
Breakthrough Study Uncovers New Evidence Connecting “Hidden” Dimensions to Mystery of Dark Matter
New research is revealing possible links between one of the most enduring cosmic mysteries—dark matter—and the existence of a "hidden" fifth dimension.
2000-Year-Old Evidence of a Cult Shrine to Odysseus, the Legendary Hero of Homer’s ‘Odyssey,’ Has Been Uncovered at Ithaca
Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of an ancient cult site devoted to the legendary hero of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey.
A Solution to a Famous Feynman Problem, ‘Psychedelic’ Breathwork, and an Odd Stone Sphere is Unearthed
This week, a famous physics problem is solved, along with new insights into psychedelic states and an archaeological discovery "unlike anything previously documented."
Mysterious Stone Sphere Unearthed at Ancient Site in Azerbaijan Baffles Archaeologists, Raises New Questions About Neolithic Technology
A stone sphere unearthed at an archaeological site in Azerbaijan is reportedly unlike anything previously documented in the South Caucasus.
MIT Engineers Unleash New ‘Aerial-Aquatic’ Robot That Can Swim Underwater and Fly Like a Bird
Engineers have developed a new aerial-aquatic robot that can swim underwater, then rise to the surface and take flight.
These Unusual Step-Like Structures on Hillsides Baffled Darwin 150 Years Ago—Now Scientists Finally Know Their Origins
An unusual phenomenon that has been recognized around the world for more than a century has finally been resolved: what are the origins of the distinctive, stair-like ridges that form on steep hillsides?
Pentagon Releases New Batch of UAP Videos and Historical Files, But Clarity Remains Elusive
The U.S. Department of War released its latest collection of UFO imagery and other materials on Friday. Here's a look at what it reveals.
Mysterious Metallic Spheres Were Discovered in an Australian Town—Now Officials Have Confirmed They Fell from Space
Australian Space Agency officials have confirmed that mysterious metallic spheres discovered near a beachside town fell from space.
“A Potential Minefield” in Earth’s Orbit Has Scientists Sounding the Alarm Over Hidden Objects Threatening Critical Satellites
Scientists have uncovered dozens of previously undetected fragments of space debris, revealing a “potential minefield” in orbit.
Major New Study Uncovers “Hemisphere-wide Evidence” Challenging Past Views on How Ancient Americans Survived
A new study challenges the idea that ancient Americans were diverse hunter-gatherers, arguing instead that they were highly specialized big-game hunters.
World’s First Betavoltaic Nuclear Satellite Just Launched to Test a New Era of Space Power
This week, history was made as the world's first nuclear-powered satellite was carried to orbit on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
ESA’s Euclid Telescope Just Spotted Two Record-Breaking Ancient Giants Among the Most Remote Objects in the Cosmos
The ESA's Euclid Space Telescope has spotted more than 30 ancient quasars that rank among the oldest and most remote space objects ever seen.
Mysterious “Space Dust” Falling on Earth May Originate from Unidentified Objects Lurking Near Our Planet, New Study Finds
New research has discovered evidence linking space dust that falls to Earth every year with an unknown variety of near-Earth objects.
Scholars Uncover Evidence of ‘Lost’ Medieval Manuscripts Using Simulations—Along With a New Concern for Historians
New evidence of “lost” ancient medieval manuscripts is being uncovered by researchers using computer simulations—but there's a problem.