Echoes of the Ancients: Denisovans, Genetic Ghosts, and Relicts from the Past | MHP 04.29.25.
Release Date: 04/29/2025
The Micah Hanks Program
At 9:23 p.m. on April 14, 1953, the crew aboard a U.S. Navy patrol plane conducting a classified ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) operation during Korean War had an unsettling encounter with the unexplained. Moving silently through the air at nine thousand feet, the aircraft initially noticed a light in the distance that appeared to be signaling to them using Morse Code. Over the hour that followed, the crew found themselves in the middle of a strange series of engagements that could only be interpreted as an aggressive display toward their aircraft by objects of unknown origin. This week...
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In a rare public interview, Jon Kosloski, Director of the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) joined astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on StarTalk Radio to pull back the curtain on the U.S. government's investigation into Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs). From law enforcement sightings of black triangles and glowing orbs to the challenges of AI-generated hoaxes and classified sensor tech, Kosloski offered a breakdown of AARO’s scientific approach to UAP analysis. This week on The Micah Hanks Program, following a “State of the UAP” address that looks at the...
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In 1996, a NASA space shuttle mission meant to study microgravity’s effects on electromagnetism may have recorded one of the most puzzling and controversial encounters ever filmed in Earth orbit—dozens, and eventually hundreds, of luminous, pulsating objects seemingly reacting to high-voltage electromagnetic fields in space. What were the strange objects, and could they be related to mysterious plasmas that are believed to manifest in Earth’s atmosphere, which are sometimes responsible for UAP sightings? From bizarre luminous manifestations in our skies, to extreme weather events and...
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This week, sudden news of the firing of former AARO Deputy Director Tim Phillips has sparked controversy following a series of interviews in which he discussed UAPs—particularly black triangle craft exhibiting silent flight, low heat signatures, and advanced maneuverability. Though Phillips emphasized these objects are likely terrestrial in origin, possibly foreign adversary technology, although his sudden departure now raises questions about whether his removal was tied to the substance of his comments—or the fact that he spoke at all. Following our analysis of the latest departure from...
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Since the story of a remarkable 2004 U.S. military UAP incident involving the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group first came to widespread public attention, speculation has ensued about whether anomalous aerial vehicle popularly known as the "Tic Tac" might be a secretive U.S. technology. Now, new claims have come to light that argue the unusual vehicle could belong to American defense contractor Lockheed Martin, but how credible are the claims? This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we examine the recent claims, and trace the likely trail of clues back to the possible source of these...
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In July 2021, researchers conducted a week-long scientific expedition off California’s Catalina Island to study unidentified aerial phenomena using visible, infrared, and radiation sensors. While most anomalies were resolved through analysis, one unexplained event—captured around 4 a.m. on July 16—remains outstanding, marked by a dark object and possible coincident ionizing radiation. This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we are joined by Dr. Matthew Szydagis is a member of the physics faculty at the University at Albany State University, NY, pursuing experimental particle...
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A long time ago, in a galaxy far away... there was once an effort to construct "the largest encyclopedia in history, both in terms of breadth and in terms of depth,” which its co-founder said should also fundamentally “be a reliable resource.” That site, of course, is Wikipedia, and today, that same co-founder, Larry Sanger, has his doubts about the success of its mission, saying in 2021 that whether or not it can be relied on anymore "depends on what you think the truth is,” and more importantly, whatever the predominant establishment views are at any given time. This week...
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Since the Second World War, sightings of anomalous phenomena near U.S. strategic sites have been logged, pointing to what some interpret as a serious national security for not only America, but for militaries around the world. What are these objects, and what are the intentions of their operators? This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we are joined by researchers Ian Porritt and Larry Hancock of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies, who discuss their latest published report "UAP Indications Analysis 1945-1975 Military and Public Activities," which examines possible...
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Following a recent "bombshell" report by the Wall Street Journal revealing the Pentagon's secretive disinformation efforts involving UFOs since the Cold War, controversy has erupted over the extent of the long-running deception, whether the new "revelations" are actually just more disinfo, and what this means in terms of investigation of "real" UAP incidents. This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we wade into the controversy, along with an examination of recent statements by the Deputy Director of the DoD's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office regarding its uncovering...
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Throughout the Cold War, the Pentagon secretly produced fake images, documents, and other materials related to alleged UFO programs, which were leaked through covert placement in public areas, dissemination through the UFO community, and even shown during fake briefings provided to members of the U.S. military. Today, the full extent of the secretive disinformation campaign remains unknown, and questions linger over why it was carried out. All of this, according to recent explosive allegations published by the Wall Street Journal, which claim that the secretive effort was...
info_outlineRecent advances in genetics and paleoanthropology are revealing a complex world where multiple hominin species coexisted, interbred, and left behind their DNA in modern populations. Fossils like the Denisovan jawbone Penghu-1 found in Taiwan and enigmatic remains from Red Deer Cave suggest that some archaic humans may have survived into the Holocene, much later than previously thought. Meanwhile, studies of modern genomes have uncovered “genetic ghosts”—traces of unknown ancient populations for which no physical remains have been found, particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia.
This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we look at these and other recent discoveries challenging our past thinking on ancient humans, which point to a tangled web of migrations and ancient interactions. We look at global folklore and indigenous traditions that describe reclusive, bipedal, humanlike creatures that bear striking similarities across cultures, which raise profound questions about how many kinds of humans once walked the Earth—and whether some still might.
Have you had a UFO/UAP sighting? Please consider reporting your sighting to the UAP Sightings Reporting System, a public resource for information about sightings of aerial phenomena.
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Show Notes
Below are links to stories and other content featured in this episode:
- NEWS: Trump and Zelensky hold war talks inside St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of pope’s funeral
- A carnivorous 'bone collector' caterpillar dresses in the remains of its prey
- New Findings Cast Doubt on Spectral Evidence of Life on Distant Exoplanet K2-18b
- The National Archives needs your help transcribing UFO and JFK files
- Ross Coulthart says Ashton Forbes' MH370 theories aren't credible
- PENGHU-1: A Mysterious Fossil from an Unknown Humanlike Species Once Baffled Scientists
- Discovery of “Lost” Species, 'Homo Juluensis,' Challenges Accepted Ideas on Early Hominin Evolution
- A Genetic Ghost Hunt: What Ancient Humans Live On In Our DNA?
- A Humanlike “Living Fossil” Could Still Be Alive in Indonesia, This Anthropologist Says
- The Relict Hominoid Inquiry: Idaho State University
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