The Micah Hanks Program

This week on The Gralien Report, we lead off with news of an unusual find off the northeast coast: a nine-foot shark that turned up dead on a beach with its face mysteriously red, shared with us by our friend Adam Olson. Then we turn our attention to news about a new quantum device that defies the concepts of ‘before’ and ‘after’, w

This week on The Gralien Report, as we kick things off, we remember the life and work of Michael Persinger, a scientist and co-inventor of ‘The God Helmet’ who passed away recently. His research into unexplained phenomena, and how science might help us understand it, set a precedent for his peers in the field, and he will be greatly missed. Elsewhere, reports of a “mysterious floating package” recently caused a bomb scare… but it turned out to merely be a NASA experiment. Also in new

This week on The Gralien Report, in celebration of Left Handed Day we look at a number of famous thinkers from over the ages who were lefties (or “southpaws” as Micah might say) before turning our attention to news, which includes certain varieties of poisonous animals that are making their way further north, apparently in response to climate changes. Then looking halfway across the world, what are the unusual “stone circles” that have been spotted by Google Earth users in various p

This week on The Gralien Report, a meteor impact that occurred recently near a US base in Greenland has caused a flurry of attention after scientists reported the incident earlier this week, though it remains unacknowledged by military officials. In other news, the death of Art Bell shocked many of us who are fans of late nights and radio journeys into the mind; however, the autopsy results were revealed last week, and with them, new questions about the final hours before Bell’s passing. Also in ne

This week on The Gralien Report, marine biologists have reported a unique discovery off the coast of Hawaii: a hybrid variety of whale-dolphin unseen before in nature. Elsewhere, in a story the likes of something from a Michael Crichton novel, 32,000-year-old worms were recently revived from Siberian permafrost in a laboratory, making them the oldest living organisms on Earth. What else could be revived from our ancient past, and could there be dangers associated with such advances of science? We als

This week on the podcast, we lead off with the discussion of a fascinating ancient mystery that has been getting a lot of attention as of late: the Younger Dryas. Following the publication of a new paper that cites new geological evidence for the cause of this unusual, abrupt climate change 12,800 years ago, the Washington Post reported on it, arguing that the long-standing mystery may have been solved. However, not all are in agreement that we can close the book on the cause of the Dryas; in fact, as our

This week on The Gralien Report, Micah recently got a laugh or two after he was mentioned on the popular Last Podcast on the Left, where a funny story from his youth was parodied by the hosts. The story had to do with “MIBs,” the alleged government spooks who, according to some popular conspiracy theories, silence UFO witnesses. Micah gives the full details behind the story of how he may have once been mistaken for one of the dark-suited characters, and how honest mistakes can sometimes lead

This week on The Gralien Report, we return on the heels of the Fourth of July holiday, with reports of lights in the skies (that’s right, fireworks), but also looking back we recall unusual lights World War II pilots used to describe seeing, otherwise known as “Foo Fighters,” and the possible meteorological explanations for them. We also take some time to look at the idea that Russian scientists recently proposed, which had to do with whether mutated microorganisms could successfull

This week on The Gralien Report, we celebrate the arrival of A.I. in space, as Airbus sends its first “Flying Brain” AI Assistant to the International Space Station. Speaking of intelligence that may be out there in space, we also celebrate World UFO Day by taking a moment to understand why UFO proponents commemorate UFOs around t

This week on The Gralien Report, while spending long periods on the road over the weekend, Micah was musing on mathematics, philosophy, and the idea of there being a “source code” for the universe. Foreshadowing a broader discussion on the relationship between mathematics and the great mysteries of our universe, we open the program with a discussion of science, philosophy, and some of the controversies that have arisen in relation to both in recent years. We then take a moment to remember

This week on The Gralien Report, an interesting news item this week has to do with a woman who is suing NASA… in order to be able to keep a vial of moon dust given to her years ago by astronaut Neil Armstrong. Elsewhere, some of the oldest frogs ever found in amber have us not only thinking about “Jurassic World,” but also a Fortean favorite of days past: the belief that frogs can sometimes survive for decades–possibly even longer–while entombed in stone, coal or cement. We w

This week on The Gralien Report, after a hearty welcome back to our friend and producer Race Hobbs, we lead off with a discussion about new research which has shown that the moon has slowly been moving further away from the Earth over time. This has caused our planet’s rotation to slow down gradually and, thus, the length of our days are actually getting longer. Elsewhere, a US Air Force agent who went missing during the height of the Cold War has suddenly reappeared… so why do some think his dec

This week on The Gralien Report, Micah and Matt begin with a discussion of some of the most unique paleontological discoveries occurring today, before turning our attention to the possible discovery of a particle that shouldn’t exist, which some say may require further revisions of the standard model of physics. Also, have scientists managed to pinpoint a 

This week on The Gralien Report, a group of scientists is taking aim at Loch Ness, and seeking to conduct an extensive study at the purported home of one of the world’s most famous “mystery monsters”… but will we find evidence of the lake’s most curious inhabitant? Or, will the forthcoming study really only prove what many skeptics have long supposed: that there is no such thing as the Loch Ness Monster? References to ancient Scottish residents who produced crude drawing

This week on The Gralien Report, Micah has returned from Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he was among the lecturers attending the 2018 Esotericon at King’s College, Halifax, produced by longtime friend of the program Paul Kimball. Before getting to some highlights from the event, we look at the latest news pertaining to the controversial “EM Drive,” and how recent studies suggest that there may be a far simpler explanation for how the device might achieve its mysterious propulsion. Else