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.
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.
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).
The Hunt for an Invisible Killer: Colorado’s Mystery Cattle Deaths
This week we present the results of an investigation into mysterious cattle deaths in Colorado based on official documents and interviews.
Source of the Sun’s Curious “Heartbeat” is Revealed in Unexpected Discovery
A new study reveals the source of a curious feature of the Sun’s atmosphere that produces a signal pattern that researchers have likened to a human heartbeat.
From the Far Side of the Moon, NASA and the DOE Plan to Search for Signals from the Dark Ages of the Universe
The “Dark Ages of the Universe” will be the focus of a new experiment conducted jointly by NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), involving the placement of a new science observatory on the far side of the Moon.
On the Trail of a Unseen Killer: Questions Linger Over Unexplained Cattle Deaths in Colorado
Documents and interviews with Colorado officials reveal new clues behind the investigation into a wave of unexplained cattle deaths last year.
Joint American-Italian MAIA Mission Will Be First to Use Satellites to Focus on Public Health and Pollution
MAIA, a cooperation between NASA and ASI, marks a mission first by the space agencies with a satellite mission focused on public health.
Scientists Call for a Space Junk Treaty to Prevent Future Tragedy from Occurring in Orbit
Scientists are calling for a treaty to protect Earth from space junk resulting from future industries operating in Earth's orbit.
2023 Annual Threat Assessment: Here’s What U.S. Intelligence Says You Need to Know
This week's newsletter examines an annual report from the ODNI detailing Intelligence Commnunity's threat forecast for the coming year.
Rise of the Organoids: “Brains in a Dish” Could Power a New Wave of Non-Human Intelligence Through Biocomputing
Artificially grown masses of cells or tissue known as “organoids” could represent the next wave of innovation in modern computing, new research says.
Physics of the Phenomenon: A New Scientific Perspective on Aerial Mysteries
Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb joins us to discuss a recent paper he and AARO director Sean Kirkpatrick authored on the physics of UAP.
Avi Loeb and the DoD’s Chief UAP Investigator Sean Kirkpatrick Say Solving Aerial Mysteries Requires Known Physics
In a new paper, Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb and AARO director Sean Kirkpatrick say that evaluations of UAP must rely on known physics.
Hubble Telescope Captured the Moment NASA’s DART Spacecraft Smashed Into an Asteroid
NASA says the Hubble Telescope captured images of the space agency’s DART spacecraft as it collided with asteroid Dimorphos last September.
Asteroid Discovery Could Shed Light on the Mysterious Origins of Life on Earth
This week we look at how asteroid samples delivered to Earth by a Japanese spacecraft could shed light on the mysterious origins of life on Earth.
Classified Report on COVID-19 Origins Raises New Questions Over Possible Lab Leak Theory
A recent classified report by the U.S. Department of Energy has revived questions about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Secrecy: Classification of the UAP Mystery
Joining us to discuss this is reporter Tim McMillan, who weighs in on the subject of excessive secrecy with relation to the ongoing UAP debate in this installment of The Micah Hanks Program.
First Law of Thermodynamics Breakthrough Could Upend a Century of Equilibrium Theory in Physics
Physicists in West Virginia have announced a potential breakthrough that could help upend a longstanding constraint imposed by the first law of thermodynamics.
Excessive Secrecy Could Undermine U.S. Efforts to Evaluate Unidentified Flying Objects, Experts Warn
Incidents involving several objects downed over North America have renewed debate over excessive secrecy and unidentified flying objects.
China Isn’t Giving Lethal Aid to Russia… Yet. Here’s What U.S. Officials Know.
This week's Intelligence Brief newsletter examines the Pentagon's recent statements on whether China plans to provide lethal aid to Russia.