DARPA’S New SHIELD Program Plans to Purge Your Blood of Pathogens, Roomba-Style
This week's Intelligence Brief examines DARPA's new SHIELD program, which aims to protect warfighters against infections from pathogens.
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.
Italy’s Fascist UFO Files
This week, we examine the strange history of Italy’s Fascist UFO files, and critically examine their relationship to the modern UFO crash wreckage retrieval debate on The Micah Hanks Program.
Threads Picks Up Millions of Users Within Hours of Launch as Meta’s New Alternative to Twitter
In the latest blow dealt in a battle between social media giants, Meta Platforms officially launched its new Threads app on Wednesday, amassing millions of followers within just a few hours.
Controlling Points of Darkness with Metasurfaces Could Enable New Covert Detection Technologies, Harvard Team Says
Harvard researchers say they have succeeded in developing a method of controlling points of darkness known as optical singularities with the help of metasurfaces.
Google’s Sycamore Quantum Processor May Have Just Settled Quantum Supremacy Debate
Google says its Sycamore quantum processor can now make instant calculations that would require the fastest conventional computers currently in existence almost half a century to complete.
Controversial Study Reveals Humankind’s Earliest Ancestors Coexisted with Dinosaurs Prior to Ancient Mass Extinction
The earliest mammalian ancestors of humans co-existed with dinosaurs prior to their mass extinction, new research reveals.
Superconductivity Breakthrough Reveals Never-Before-Seen Quantum Vortex Phenomenon
An international team of researchers says they have discovered a new variety of quantum vortexes within superconductors, pointing to a previously unknown circulatory phenomenon.
“I don’t really understand why they can do it.” The Godfather of AI Returns With a Warning
The “Godfather of AI” has returned to offer more words of caution about the potential issues humankind could face in the future with AI.
Giant UFOs on Radar
This week, Robert Powell, an executive board member of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies, joins us to discuss large UAP and their detection on radar in a famous 2008 incident.
Mysterious Force Behind Cosmic Acceleration To Be Explored by New Joint NASA and ESA Effort
NASA and the ESA will team up to unravel the mysteries of dark energy and cosmic acceleration with the Roman and Euclid space telescopes.
Webb Space Telescope Makes Breakthrough Detection of Compound “Crucial” to Formation of Life
A new carbon compound has been detected in space for the first time using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, according to an international team of researchers.
The Pancosmorio Theory: New Research Reveals Factors That Could Complicate Long-term Survival in Space
Long-term survival of human explorers in deep space may be harder to achieve than once thought, according to new research.
Space Thruster Tiles, Self-Healing Squid-like Stuff, and Pig Hearts: DoD Event Exhibits Pentagon’s Unconventional Tech
The Pentagon recently showcased some of its most unconventional innovations during an event hosted by the DoD's ManTech program.
The Nuclear Connection: UAP and the Atomic Warfare Complex
Throughout the early years of the Cold War, recurrent appearances of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) were documented near several radioactive materials production plants, atomic weapons assembly facilities, and atomic weapons stockpile sites in the United States
The Search for Titan: Knocking Sounds, a Debris Field, and Breaking Developments in the Rescue Effort
Welcome to this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief… as the search for a missing submersible has captured...
Discovery of “Debris Field” Announced by U.S. Coast Guard in Search for Missing Submersible
A debris field has reportedly been discovered by searchers involved in the effort to recover a missing submersible that was lost on Sunday near the vicinity of the Titanic wreckage.
Anomalous Phenomenon Observed in Quantum Bunching Effect “Utterly Contradicts Common Knowledge”
An anomalous bunching effect appears to contradict our accepted understanding of the properties of photons, according to a new paper.
MQ-9 Reaper Completes Harrowing Mission First That Proves It Can Be Flown From Anywhere in the World
The USAF says it has successfully landed an MQ-9 in terrain that proves the UAV can be launched from virtually anywhere in the world.
TRAPPIST-1 Could Have Lower Number of Habitable Planets, New Webb Data Suggests
New data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) suggests an exoplanet with once-promising potential for life shows no signs of having a thick atmosphere.
Rescue Teams Race Against Time in Search for Missing Submersible Near Titanic Wreck
The search for a submersible craft with five people aboard remains underway after disappearing near the wreckage of the famous Titanic.
Theoretical Breakthrough Could Finally Solve the Mystery of Invisible Dark Matter
A team of Canadian researchers says that the lack of clumpiness in the structure of the universe could help to shed new light on the composition of dark matter.
New Phase of Matter Revealed in Physics Breakthrough By Scientists Who Engineered a “Frustration Machine”
A new phase of matter has been discovered by a team of physicists who succeeded in engineering what they call a “frustration machine.”
What’s That Orbiting the Moon? Data Suggests a Lost Spacecraft Could be Lurking in Lunar Orbit
Recent calculations suggest a famous "lost" spacecraft could have been hiding for decades in orbit around the moon.
Newly Revealed Speed of Fastest Stars Ever Observed in the Milky Way Stuns Astronomers
An international team of astronomers reports they have succeeded in detecting the fastest stars ever observed within the Milky Way galaxy.
DARPA and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab Unite to Combat File Format Dangers with ‘SafeDocs’
DARPA and JPL team up with the SafeDocs program to provide new tools that allow safe access to online documents.
David Grusch: The UAP Whistleblower Controversy
As the story of UAP whistleblower David Grusch continues to unfold, statements from the former IC official have erupted in controversy.
New Bill Directs FAA to Track Airborne Objects That May Pose Collision Threat to Aviators
A new bill introduced by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee includes language that will task the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with tracking objects deemed to be a risk resulting from airborne debris.
Fastest Spacecraft in Existence Helps to Unravel the Mystery of “Fast” Solar Winds
NASA just sent the fastest spacecraft ever built close enough to the Sun to detect the fine structure of "fast" solar winds near its surface.
Study Doubles Number of Repeating Fast Radio Bursts, Also Reveals “Anomalous” Cosmic Radio Sources
A new study by researchers at MIT has doubled the number of repeating Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) that are known to exist.
Electric Propulsion Breakthrough Produces Motor that Could Help to Revolutionize Green Aviation
Engineers at MIT say they have developed a new motor that could be used to electrify large aircraft, significantly reducing their carbon footprint with the help of innovative new electric propulsion technology.
Powerful New Inertial Sensor to Equip the U.S. Navy for Navigation Without Relying on GPS
A formidable next-generation inertial sensor will soon be deployed by the United States Navy, which it says will offer vast improvements to its present maritime navigational capabilities.
Whistleblower Claims Congress is Being Kept in the Dark About U.S. Recovery of Non-Human Craft
This week, a whistleblower has claimed the U.S. government is withholding information about non-human craft from Congress.
Odd Structures Detected Near the Heart of the Milky Way Left This Team of Astrophysicists “Stunned”
Researchers have detected odd filament structures that may provide new insights into a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
Craft Retrievals of Non-Human Origin?
A former intelligence official, David Charles Grusch, has come forward and filed a complaint with the Intelligence Community Inspector General alleging that knowledge of such retrievals of non-human craft has been illegally kept from Congress.
NASA’s UAP Study: Here Are the Key Takeaways from Yesterday’s Public Briefing
Welcome to this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief… yesterday, members of a NASA independent study team that...
The RB-47 Incident: Mystery at 2800 Megacycles
This week we examine the RB-47 UFO incident, and how this 1957 case may offer significant scientific data supporting the existence of UAP.
NASA Study Team on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Calls for Better Data, Ending Harassment and Stigmas
On Wednesday, members of a NASA independent study team held a public briefing on its current efforts to categorize and evaluate data related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).
“Risk of Extinction” From Artificial Intelligence Prompts Concerning New Warning From AI Experts
A new warning about the potential dangers artificial intelligence (AI) may represent for humankind in the years ahead was voiced on Tuesday by leading scientists and tech industry experts.
Researchers Discover New Organisms with an Appetite That Could Help Revolutionize Plastic Recycling
Scientists say they have discovered a variety of microbes that can break down plastic at low temperatures.
Investigation and Tracking of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Explored in New Publications by Harvard Team
A series of new scientific papers detailing methods of detection and investigation into unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) has been published by a team of Harvard researchers.
Volt Typhoon: Chinese Hacking Effort Reveals “Stealthy and Targeted Malicious Activity”
This week, U.S. intelligence officials and industry leaders issued a warning about Volt Typhoon, a new state-sponsored Chinese hacking threat.
Colm Kelleher: AAWSAP and the Skinwalker Enigma
This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we examine the controversial AAWSAP program with BAASS Deputy Administrator Colm Kelleher, Ph.D.
All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office Seeks Deputy Director, as Friday Deadline Approaches
The All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), is looking to hire a new Deputy Director, according to a vacancy on the website of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) that expires on Friday.
DARPA is Developing Stealthy Undersea Propulsion Tech to Silently Drive Next Generation Military Watercraft
DARPA has announced a new program aimed at developing unique electrode materials that can be used to produce a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) drive for the U.S. military.
Details on Mysterious Object That Followed China’s Spaceplane Revealed in Recent Space Threat Assessment
New details have emerged involving a mysterious object released during the test flight of a Chinese spaceplane that landed this month.
Garry Nolan: A Stanford Professor’s Quest to Resolve Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena
The Debrief recently caught up with Stanford professor of pathology Garry Nolan, who discusses his research involving unidentified anomalous phenomena.
G7: World Leaders Prepare to Attend Summit in Hiroshima This Weekend
As world leaders convene for the annual G7 Summit, we’ll be analyzing the location, significance and other details about this year's meeting.
Black Knight: Dark Satellites, Anomalous Echoes and Alien Probes
This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we dive into the strange history involving what is popularly known as "The Black Knight Satellite", and how a genuine scientific anomaly first detected in the 1920s helped give rise to theories about possible evidence of alien technologies in Earth's orbit.
Air Force Research Lab’s Awesome Directed Energy Prototype Dominates Enemy Drone Swarm in Simulated Attack
The AFRL says a recent demonstration of its Tactical High-power Operational Responder (THOR) against drone swarms was a success.
Potential New Keys to Anti-Aging and Regeneration Revealed in “Zombie” Cells of Salamanders
Growing evidence suggests that senescent cells could play a much more significant role in the remarkable anti-aging and regenerative capabilities some organisms display.