MH-Site-AboutMicah Hanks is a writer, podcaster, and researcher whose interests cover a variety of subjects. His areas of focus include history, science, philosophy, current events, cultural studies, technology, unexplained phenomena, and ways the future of humankind may be influenced by science and innovation in the coming decades.

“I think my primary goal is to help people as much as possible,” Micah says, “and learn as much about our world, and the universe, as I can. I think that sums up my primary goals in life.”

Podcasting became a hobby for Micah in early 2011 after a six-year stint working in radio as a producer and on-air talent. Since then, he has continued to pursue his passion for information-driven talk programming through a variety of podcasts, including The Gralien Report, a science and unexplained mysteries program, as well as an “unfiltered” current events podcast, Middle Theory, cohosted with longtime friend and fellow commentator Christopher McCollum. 

History and archaeology are among Micah’s favorite areas of study. Starting in 2016, he began working closely with members of the archaeological community in the Southeastern United States, in an effort to understand relationships between early North American inhabitants during the Paleo-Indian period, and climate changes that were occurring toward the end of the last ice age. This research has also led him to sites like the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter in Pennsylvania, which ranks among the earliest known human habitation sites in America. In 2017, Micah and his colleagues, environmental scientist Jason Pentrail and geologist James Waldo, were able to interview the lead archaeologists at this, and other sites, whose work and diligence have helped rewrite the history of early American migrations and settlement.

Separate from his archaeological interests, the controversy surrounding artificial intelligence, surveillance, and the broadening of human knowledge through the World Wide Web have also become areas of focus for Micah, which have prompted him to interview leading thinkers in the field like Benjamin Goertzel, Ph.D. about forecasts for the future of humanity.

Micah has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, including CNN Radio, Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, History Channel’s Guts and Bolts, and many others. He has also lectured on a variety of subjects, including avocationalist archaeology, consciousness studies, aviation history, and historical mysteries.

He is author of several books, including The Ghost Rockets, a survey of drone-like technologies of unexplained origin, reported since the Cold War era; Magic, Mysticism and the Molecule: The Search for Sentient Intelligence from Other Worlds, a book which focuses on continuities between various altered states of consciousness described throughout history; Reynolds Mansion: An Invitation to the Past, an historical overview of one of Asheville, North Carolina’s oldest Antebellum homes; The Complete Guide to Maverick Podcasting, an exhaustive technical manual on the subject of recording and producing podcasts; and his 2012 New Page Books release, The UFO Singularity, which focuses on purported “exotic” aerial phenomena, and how anecdotal reports of such observations may, in at least some cases, mirror technological innovations occurring in the present day, along with those expected for tomorrow.

Micah has written as a blogger for sites such as Mysterious Universe for a number of years, and has had numerous articles featured in various journals, newspapers, and magazines. 

Hanks has undertaken a number of personal projects involving scientific anomalies, which include a website devoted to the scientific study of anomalous sounds in nature, and another focusing on specific seasonal seismic phenomena. Micah has also been long associated with research into anomalous nocturnal illuminations, akin to what geologists label “earthquake lights,” or which in some cases may bear similarity to the phenomenon known as ball lightning. Purported earth-light phenomena of this sort exist in a variety of locales, including one in western North Carolina known regionally as “The Brown Mountain Lights.” While these phenomena rest squarely in the realms of geophysics and atmospheric science for Hanks, their possible relationship with sightings of alleged unexplained aerial phenomenon (UAP) have driven his tangent interest in UFOs. For an overview of the Brown Mountain Lights that relies on available scientific data, please see Micah’s article here.

In addition to natural atmospheric illuminations, since 2010 Micah has become well known for his study and commentary on the subject of unexplained aerial phenomena (UAP), which involves prospective scientific research into what have traditionally been called unidentified flying objects or “UFOs” (a topic which Hanks largely considers to be a form of pseudoscience). Initially, Hanks was invited to present commentary on this subject purely in an editorial fashion; however, careful study of the history of the phenomenon, as well as scientific literature related to its possible explanations, have led Hanks to a more skeptical interpretation on many areas associated with modern “UFOlogy.”

A minority of collected reports do appear to constitute some basis for the existence of one or more varieties of as-yet unexplained phenomenon. Nonetheless, popular (and controversial) interpretations that include extraterrestrial origins, as well as notions of inter-dimensional or temporal phenomena, etc, are not supported with data that satisfies the requirements of good science. In equal measure, classification systems used for study of the phenomenon in the past have been influenced by social memes and other cultural interpretations of the UFO phenomenon. Because of this, in 2016 Hanks began work on creating a simpler, and more scientific classification system, which employs additional measures to aid in proper tests for falsification, based on the previous work of researcher and astronomer Allan Hendry. To learn about Micah’s present work with the UAP phenomenon, please see his article on the subject here.

When not working on various research or other projects, Micah enjoys reading books on archaeology, philosophy, physics, astronomy, and history. He also enjoys watching documentaries and films, particularly in the science fiction genre; it’s no secret among those who know Micah well that he is a devoted fan of Doctor Who, England’s longest-running sci-fi drama. 

Micah lives in the heart of Appalachia near Asheville, North Carolina, where he makes a living as a musician, web designer, and writer.

If you have questions, or information you would like to share with Micah, you can email him directly at info@micahhanks.com

Follow Micah on Twitter: @MicahHanks