Jan 20, 2026
Throughout history, scholars have sought ways to access the “lost knowledge” of the ancient world. In recent years, with the advent of artificial intelligence, major strides have been made toward decoding the mysteries kept within mysterious ancient texts like the famous “Voynich manuscript,” which was composed centuries ago in a mysterious language that remains undeciphered. The challenges that such texts present to scholars also raise a question: would we be any more successful in decoding messages sent to Earth from space by intelligent aliens?
This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we look at the efforts by scientists to unlock mysterious ancient texts, as well as the search for evidence of communication from intelligent extraterrestrials, and finally, how the intersection between archaeology and interstellar communication culminates in the debate about possible “Paleo-SETI” and the prospect that Earth may have been visited by extraterrestrial visitors in ancient times.
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Show Notes
Below are links to stories and other content featured in this episode:
- NEWS: Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS) Is An Actual Condition — And It Could Explain A Lot
- James Webb telescope reveals sharpest-ever look at the edge of a black hole
- AI & LOST LANGUAGES: AI deciphers ancient scroll 2,000 years after Mount Vesuvius erupted
- AI translates 5,000-year-old cuneiform tablets instantly
- 7 Times A.I. Helped Unlock Ancient Secrets
- NASA BOOK: Archaeology, Anthropology, and Interstellar Communication
- SAGAN 1962: “Direct Contact Among Galactic Civilizations by Relativistic Interstellar Spaceflight”
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