Mysterious Chinese Spacecraft Returns to Earth, but Few Details Are Known About Its Secretive 276-Day Mission
An experimental Chinese spacecraft has just returned to Earth from its secretive 276 day mission. Here's what we currently know.
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.
Strange Physics State May Help Reveal Link Between Photosynthesis and Fifth State of Matter
Scientists with the University of Chicago say they have discovered links between photosynthesis and an unusual state that facilitates the flow of energy through materials, according to newly published research.
Key to Ancient Mayan Calendar Mystery May Have Finally Been Discovered, Scientists Say
One of the great mysteries of the ancient Americas has finally been solved, according to anthropologists who say they may have unraveled the longstanding mystery of the ancient Mayan calendar.
Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence to Get a Boost from This Colossal Radio Array in New Mexico
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) will soon be getting help from one of the world’s largest and most powerful radio telescope arrays, as scientists continue to scour the universe for evidence of extraterrestrials and their technologies.
A Warning From The Godfather of Artificial Intelligence
The "Godfather of A.I." has taken a big step back to warn us about the potential perils such technology might ensure in the years ahead.
Breaking the Eddington Limit? NASA Study Unravels Sources of Ultra-Luminous X-Rays
Astronomers say distant mega light-emitting objects may be defying the Eddington limit and offer a new hypothesis as to how that might occur.
UAP: Knowns, Unknowns, and Uncertainties
In this podcast we look at potentially harmful cases involving UAP, along with an analysis of our presumptions about the phenomenon.
The Chicago O’Hare UAP Incident: Physics Team’s Analysis Offers a Fresh Look at This Famous 2006 Case
According to a group of physicists, witness descriptions of the famous 2006 Chicago O’Hare UAP incident are suggestive of a form of advanced propulsion that may one day revolutionize space travel.
Pentagon Confirms New Details on Mysterious Balloon Being Tracked by U.S. Military Over Hawaii
A balloon of unknown origin is being tracked by the U.S. military after it passed over Hawaii, according to a Pentagon spokesperson and other officials familiar with the developing situation.
New Satellite Images Reveal First Look at Chinese Airship and Laser Anti-Satellite Weapons Capabilities
New satellite images of a suspected Chinese airship were released online on Monday by geospatial-intelligence company BlackSky.
In a Surprise Move, Russia Says it Will Support International Space Station Operations Through 2028
Russia says it has agreed to continue to support the International Space Station (ISS) until 2028 despite mounting tensions between Moscow and Western nations, according to a recent statement from NASA.
New Concerns Over Threats from Space Revealed in Latest U.S. Classified Document Leak
This week's newsletter examines the latest concerns arising from U.S. top-secret document leaks, and what they convey about China and Russia’s space programs.
Odd Green Light Filmed Over Japan Came from Space, but NASA Satellite Data Reveals It Was No Meteor
Whatever flashed through the skies over Japan certainly wasn’t a bird or a plane… could it have been a meteor? As it turns out, NASA satellite data had the answer.
Garry Nolan: UAP Analysis and Anomalous Pathology
This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we are joined by Garry Nolan, a Stanford University professor of pathology who discusses his groundbreaking research into anomalous health incidents
Mysterious Tracks Spotted in Landsat 9 Satellite Images Over Greenland Prompt NASA Investigation
The Landsat 9 Earth observation satellite captured imagery of a series of mysterious tracks as it passed over Greenland on March 13, 2023. Here's what a NASA investigation determined.
NASA’s Incredible Superalloy GRX-810 May Lead to New Breakthroughs in Spacecraft Construction
A new 3D printable superalloy capable of producing components for aircraft and spacecraft with unprecedented durability could represent a major breakthrough for the aerospace industry, according to a new NASA study.
Intelligence Community Leaders Meet at Wright Patterson for “Historic” National Security Briefing
Leaders from the U.S. intelligence community met in Ohio on Friday for an unprecedented national security briefing at Wright Patterson AFB.
Department of Defense Confirms Reentry of Spacecraft That Plunged into the Sahara Desert This Week
The Rhessi satellite that spent the last decade collecting data about the Sun fell from the sky this week, raining debris over the Sahara.
No Evidence of ET? Controversy Erupted After the Senate UAP Hearing. Here’s What the Critics Missed
In this week's Intelligence Brief newsletter, we examine the controversies surrounding yesterday's Senate UAP hearing, and several key takeaways that many critics of AARO overlooked.
The Senate Hearings on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we analyze the recent Senate hearings on UAP, and what they convey about the U.S.'s assessments of these mysteries in our skies.
Senate Hearing on UAP Reveals New Videos and Common Features, but Says No Proof of ET
Common shapes of UAP and other characteristics, as well as a pair of new videos were presented in Wednesday's Senate hearing on UAP.
New Concerning Details About Chinese Spy Balloon Technology Revealed in U.S. Classified Document Leak
The Chinese spy balloon that passed over the United States in February is believed to have possessed power generation capabilities able to support advanced radar technology, according to classified U.S. intelligence documents leaked online.
Mystery of “Strange Metals” and Their Uncanny Behavior Is Closer to Being Resolved, Research Team Says
Researchers at the University of Toronto say they are closer than ever before to resolving the curious behavior of “strange metals,” a metallic phase of matter that is not described well in current theory.
Classified Document Leak Reveals Presence of Western Special Forces in Ukraine, and Much More
This week we analyze a recent U.S. classified document leak that reveals new details on Western allies and the war in Ukraine.
Skunk Works Assembly of NASA’s X-59 Experimental Prototype Brings Overland Supersonic Travel a Step Closer
NASA’s experimental X-59 just got something at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works that could help it demonstrate quieter overland supersonic flight.
The Secret Life of Tom Slick: The CIA and the Search for the Yeti
This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we look at Tom Slick's possible connections to the U.S. intelligence community, and whether the CIA had been involved in espionage with help from the man who, at the time, had become America's most-famous monster hunter.
Quantum Version of the Third Law of Thermodynamics Says Absolute Zero is Theoretically Possible
Physicists say they have reconciled the third law of thermodynamics with quantum physics, in new research that proves absolute zero is theoretically possible.
Advanced Aerospace Systems Technology Research Program Contract Awarded to Defense Contractors by USAF
The USAF has awarded a $400 million contract for its new Advanced Aerospace Systems Technology Research program.
The Hubble Tension: New Study Sheds Light on Puzzling Discrepancy in the Cosmic Expansion Rate
A new study may have revealed clues to understanding a long held cosmological puzzle, involving a discrepancy in the cosmic expansion rate of the universe.
Mk-II Aurora Space Plane Completes Its First Rocket-Powered Flight, Sets Pace for Orbital Program
This week, we take a look at the successful rocket-powered test flight of the new Mk-II Aurora space plane by Dawn Aerospace.
Area 51 Uncensored: Tales From America’s Best-Known Secret Base
This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we examine modern legends that have become associated with Area 51, and how it became a mainstay of American conspiracy theories.
Antineutrino Detection Breakthrough Using Pure Water Captures Signal from Distant Nuclear Reactor
A breakthrough in the detection of antineutrinos using pure water rather than a liquid scintillator has been made, according to an international team of scientists.
A Plant Communication First: Scientists Detect Sounds Likened to Ultrasonic ‘Distress Signals’ from Plants
Researchers have recorded and analyzed ultrasonic airborne sounds produced by plants under stress, which can even reveal the plant’s type and condition
Physicists Prove Famous Double-Slit Experiment Can Be Recreated in Time, Not Just in Space
The famous double slit experiment has been recreated by physicists who say they have now achieved it in time, rather than in space.
Breakthrough Ballistic Missile Intercept Demonstrated by U.S. Missile Defense Agency in Aegis System Test
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency reports the completion of a landmark ballistic missile intercept during a recent Aegis system test.
Fast Radio Bursts Could Be Solved With Help From a 24-Year-Old Transplant Survivor
An international team of researchers says that they may have discovered something new about fast radio bursts that could help scientists determine more about their nature.
A Mysterious Midnight Celestial Event Was Detected Using a Cold War Spying Technique
A seldom-seen midnight celestial event reportedly occurred in recent weeks, marking what may be just the second time the rare solar phenomena has been observed in more than a decade.
Superintelligence: An A.I. Takeover Scenario
This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we look at several potential future scenarios involving the creation of an A.I. superintelligence and whether they could spell problems for us in the future.
Could Earth be at Greater Risk from a Deadly Asteroid Impact Than We Realize?
Recent studies indicate that potential threats related to an asteroid impact could be greater than previously realized.
A Space Enigma: Rare Celestial Object Defies Simple Classification, Resembles Three Distinct Phenomena
Like a celestial jack of all trades, Z 229-15 is many things all at once: an active galactic nucleus, a quasar and, a Seyfert galaxy.
Mysterious South Atlantic Anomaly is “Deepening,” Recent Government Report Says
An anomalous magnetic region in the South Atlantic Ocean is growing, according to data that appeared in a government report published earlier this year.
Sandstorms on an Alien World Are Revealed in New Data Collected by the James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed swirling sandstorms in the atmosphere of a planet 40 light-years away from Earth.
Bard is Born: Introducing Google’s Newest High-Performance Chatbot
This week we look at Google's announcement that it will soon begin opening access to Bard, its newest and most advanced chatbot.
Law Enforcement Encounters with UAP
This week, we examine law enforcement encounters with UAP and their significance to the history of the phenomenon on The Micah Hanks Program.
Department of Energy Scientists Achieve the Impossible with Major Breakthrough in Ultrafast Beam-Steering
Scientists in New Mexico say they have mastered ultrafast steering of light pulses from conventional, “incoherent” sources in a major scientific breakthrough.
First Detection of Neutrinos in a Particle Collider Reported by California Physicists in a Scientific First
Physicists in California have reported the detection of neutrinos in a particle collider, marking a new breakthrough development in physics.
Powerful New Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) Sensor Set to be Delivered to U.S. Air Force
The U.S. Air Force is set to be equipped with a formidable new combat-proven electronically scanned array sensor system, which will enhance both air and maritime sensing capabilities.
Comprehensive Climate Change Report Warns That World Leaders Must Take Action to Limit Severe Weather Events
The United Nations is calling on governments around the world to take urgent action in the face of climate change, according to a new report that says current efforts to combat the crisis are insufficient.
Breakthrough Study of Anomalous Photoemission Challenges Our Current Understanding of the Phenomenon
Physicists report a discovery they say could upend our long-held scientific views involving the phenomenon that causes the photoelectric effect.
Pentagon Space Mission Aims to Test Laser Power Beaming in Space
This week, we look at the NRL's efforts to use laser power beaming with its Space Wireless Energy Laser Link (SWELL).