“Vastly Underestimated” Ice Loss Presents a Grim Forecast for Future Sea Level Rise
This week, we analyze a recent international study pointing to a greater sea level rise in the years ahead than previous models expected.
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.
Researchers Detect a Mysterious ‘Structure’ Hidden Beyond the Milky Way’s Zone of Avoidance
A research team has reported the discovery of a large extragalactic structure obscured from view beyond a portion of the Milky Way galaxy, in a new paper outlining their preliminary findings.
A “Living Fossil” Has Been Discovered Alive in California’s Coastal Waters
The recent amazing discovery of a "living fossil" revealed a species presumed to be extinct that was alive and well in an unlikely place.
“Unexpected” Discovery in Anti-Aging Science Reveals Process that Lengthens Immune Cell Lifespan
A new breakthrough in anti-aging science that slows the degradation of immune cells has been reported by an international team of scientists.
NASA-Funded Project Will Crowdsource Data to Study Mysterious Transient Luminous Events
Lightning sprites and other mysterious Transient Luminous Events (TLEs) will be explored in a new NASA-Funded citizen science project.
The Inside Story Behind the Recent Record-Breaking North Korean Missile Frenzy
This week we’ll be looking at events leading up to a recent series of missile launches by North Korea, and what it means in terms of the country’s expanding capabilities.
North Korea Launches Record-Breaking Barrage of Missiles, Prompting Air Raid Alert and Evacuations
North Korea reportedly fired almost two dozen missiles early on Wednesday, prompting evacuations to underground shelter facilities on South Korea’s Ulleung island.
“Quantum Watch” Helps Physicists Reveal a Completely New Way to Measure Time
An international team of physicists says it has discovered a new way to measure time, in a research effort that led to the creation of a kind of “quantum watch.”
Existence of Long-Rumored ‘Strange Star’ Made of Weird Matter May Finally Be Confirmed
Composed entirely of strange “quark matter,” astronomers believe they may have discovered a long-rumored space object possessing unusual stellar qualities.
Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation is Challenged by Controversial New Astrophysics Discovery
New discoveries by a team of astrophysicists are pointing to revelations that could challenge Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation.
NASA UAP Study Update: Team Members Assemble as Study Officially Goes Underway
With NASA's UAP study now underway, in recent days we learned who the space agency has selected to collect and study data related to the phenomenon.
This Quantum Inertial Sensor Could Help the Military’s Next-Gen Aircraft Navigate Without GPS Satellites
A new quantum inertial sensor that relies on a laser and vacuum system is so small it could fit on a kitchen tabletop... and it could help navigate tomorrow's next-gen aircraft.
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and Aviation Safety: A Persistent Challenge
This week we look at UAP pilots have recently reported, interpretations of what they might be, and their relevance to aviation safety.
“Any Idea What They Are?” American Pilots Report Multiple Encounters with Unusual ‘Racetrack’ UAP in Recent Weeks
Pilots and crews from more than 15 commercial aircraft say they have recently encountered unusual "Racetrack" UAP in American airspace.
What Made the Mushrooms Magic: Psychedelic Study Explores the Odd Evolution of Mind-Altering Fungi
Scientists are trying to narrow down what led certain fungi to take the unique evolutionary path that helped them produce psychedelic compounds.
Smashing Success: NASA Presents a Promising DART Mission Update
Welcome to this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief… now that NASA’s investigation team has had time to go...
Faster Than Light Speed? ‘Star Crash’ Produces Cosmic Blast That Seemed to Defy Physics
A cosmic blast caused by a “star crash” between two neutron stars produced an effect that seemingly defied the laws of physics, according to researchers.
Flying Saucer? No, But This Inflatable Heat Shield Could Help Astronauts Land on Mars
NASA's new inflatable heat shield, which may one day assist in landing humans on Mars, will soon be launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Unsettling Security Threat Revealed as AI “Thermal Attack” Guesses Passwords in Seconds
A potential security threat has been revealed in a recent study where passwords were easily guessed by an AI-driven thermal imaging system.
A New Quasiparticle Has Been Created in Breakthrough Research by Physicists
A new type of magnetic quasiparticle has been created, according to researchers who coupled light with an array of extremely thin magnets.
Jacques Vallée: Pursuing Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and ‘Impossible Futures’
The 83-year-old scientist tells The Debrief what more than six decades of studying aerial mysteries have taught him about UAP phenomena and the scientific process.
Russian Space Agency Seeks to Continue Operations Aboard the ISS Beyond 2024
This week, we look at how the Russian space agency is now looking at the possibility of continuing its space operations aboard the International Space Station beyond 2024.
Puzzling Plasma Phenomenon Could Hold the Key to a Breakthrough in Fusion Energy
A team of physicists at Princeton Plasma Physics Lab says they have narrowed down what causes plasma disruptions during fusion reactions.
Controversial Ukrainian UAP Study Shot Down in Statement by Scientific Council
A Ukrainian UAP study claiming to have captured images of unknown aerial objects has been taken to task by astronomers with the country's National Academy of Sciences.
Are Intelligent Extraterrestrials Hiding from Us? In Fact, it Might Be the Other Way Around
Could intelligent aliens be hiding from us? A new research paper asks if a unique astronomical phenomenon could effectively hide Earth from any friendly aliens' view.
When Radiation Meets Metal: The Complicated Science of Material Failure
Welcome to this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief… items in our queue this week include how a team...
New Hypersonic Air-Breathing Missile to Represent a “New Class” in U.S. Strategic Weapons Arsenal
A first-of-its-kind air-breathing missile has been selected by the United States Air Force to be the latest addition to its growing hypersonic arsenal.
New Abiogenesis Theory Challenges This Widely-Accepted Argument About Alien Life On Earthlike Planets
Life on Earthlike planets could be more likely than one popular argument supposes, according to a theory outlined in a recent science paper.
New Breakthrough in Zero-Energy Technology Keeps Things Cool, With No Electricity Required
An innovative new passive cooling system could one day replace conventional cooling technologies, offering an alternative that requires only water to function.
Neptune’s Rings Make Rare Appearance in Surreal Images Captured by Webb
Welcome to this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief… as new images from the James Webb Space Telescope...
SHERLOC Investigates Red Planet Puzzler at Wildcat Ridge
This week, the Perseverance rover's SHERLOC instrument has made potentially promising discoveries in an ancient delta that may help unravel a Martian mystery.
Through the Looking-Glass: Odd New Metasurface Material is a “Doorway” to Strange Quantum Phenomenon
The creation of a new metasurface material could improve efforts to harness quantum entanglement in the production of innovative new technologies.
For the First Time, These Incredible New Images of the Sun Reveal Its Mysterious Chromosphere
A pair of incredible new images of the Sun are revealing hidden details about its mysterious chromosphere for the first time.
Quantum Entanglement Discovery Could Lead to Breakthrough in Measuring Ultrafast Events
Researchers at Purdue University say observations of the quantum entanglement of photons in a recent study could point to novel ways of measuring events of incredibly short duration.
Rise of the Stellarators: Fusion Power Could Become a Reality with This Innovative Technology, But There’s a Twist
Scientists could soon be closing in on making sustainable fusion energy a reality, thanks to an innovative new take on an existing technology that could help fusion reactions occur in a more confined space.
NASA’s DART Spacecraft Is On Its Way Toward a Collision With an Asteroid Moon
This week's Intelligence Brief examines NASA's plans to smash its DART spacecraft into an asteroiod moonlet millions of miles away from Earth later this month.
Infodynamics: Discovery of a New Law of Physics Could Help Scientists Predict Genetic Mutations
Researchers say a new law of physics could help predict the occurrence of genetic mutations, in a remarkable development in the research field known as infodynamics.
Ghostly “Einstein Crosses” Spotted in Deep Space Could Help Resolve Dark Energy Mystery
Despite their striking appearance, Einstein Crosses aren't evidence of distant alien megastructures. However, they could help solve the lingering mystery of dark energy.
As Hydrogen Leak Sets Back Artemis I Launch, Here’s What’s Next for NASA’s Moon Mission
NASA’s Artemis mission saw significant setbacks on Saturday, after engineers were unable to resolve a hydrogen leak in an interface connecting the liquid hydrogen fuel feed line with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
Was Einstein Wrong? Dark Energy Study Yields Surprising Discoveries About Nature’s Most Mysterious Forces
A new study on dark energy examines whether our understanding of gravity and its influence throughout the universe is incomplete.
Traveling at 8% of the Speed of Light, the Strange Celestial Object S62 is the Fastest Ever Seen
In this week's Intelligence Brief, we look at a mysterious object traveling at 8% of the speed of light, the fastest object ever observed by astronomers.
Turbulence, the “Greatest Unsolved Problem in All of Science,” Could Soon be Decoded
Physicists with the Georgia Institute of Technology say they have demonstrated how the phenomenon of turbulence can be better understood with a bit of help from fluid dynamics.
Enigmatic “Phantom Galaxy” is Revealed in Stunning Images From Space Telescope Collaboration
Images of the "Phantom Galaxy" M74 are among the latest stunning efforts that combine data collected by Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes.
“Cosmics” and “Phantoms”: Ukrainian Independent Study Reveals Observations of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
Ukrainian researchers say an independent study of unidentified aerial phenomena has produced images of objects that defy simple explanation.
Artemis Mission Has NASA Searching the Lunar South Pole for Landing Sites
This week, we examine several landing sites NASA recently proposed on the Moon's south pole for its ambitious Artemis mission.
Researchers Untangle “Arrow of Time” Mystery in Groundbreaking New Physics Study
Researchers are closing in on the mystery of the arrow of time, and how cells and particles could be the source for various phenomena that gives rise to the human concept of time.
Solving the Hard Problem of Consciousness: Physicist Nir Lahav Ph.D. on a Relativistic Theory of Consciousness
Dr. Nir Lahav explains how a relativistic approach to the hard problem of consciousness may help us unravel some of the perplexing questions we have about the brain, and other mysteries of the mind.
NASA Prepares For the First Moonshot of Its Artemis Program
As NASA gears up for its Artemis mission, we look at what NASA plans to accomplish during its first test flight with its SLS rocket and the Orion capsule.
Hidden Beyond the Edge of a Black Hole, a Curious Ring of Light Has Been Detected in a Supergiant Galaxy
Astrophysicists have revealed a once-hidden ring of light in “remastered” versions of the historic first images of a black hole.
Resurrecting the Thylacine: Colossal Announces Plans to “De-Extinct” the Tasmanian Tiger
Colossal Biosciences has announced its new effort to ressurrect the Thylacine using innovative de-extinction technologies.