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UFO Case Review

Think Anomalous videos offer reviews of notable cases of unexplained events, and surveys some  major developments in the study of anomalous phenomena. We cover everything from notable UFO sightings to alleged instances of spirit possession, and survey fields of anomalistic research such as presentiment and reincarnation. Videos are written and narration by Jason Charbonneau, and feature illustration by Colin Campbell, music by Josh Chamberland, Animation by Brendan Barr, and Sound design by Will Mountain. 

All videos on UFO-related topics are published as their own series: UFO Case Review. To view these videos only, click the link below, or watch our playlist on YouTube. 

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The Jinn: Supernatural Beings of the Muslim World​​

According to the Quran, the sacred text of Islam, the jinn are a race of mostly invisible beings that occasionally interfere in peoples’ lives, and possess their minds and bodies. The Jinn of Islam grew out of earlier mesopotamian deities and greco-Roman daemons, but they also have a great deal in common with traditions of invisible beings and “little people” all over the world. The similarities between jinn, fairies, and 20th-century aliens, for example, suggest that they may all be manifestations of the same phenomena, filtered through different cultures. (continue reading)

Jacques Vallée, UFOs, and the Case against Extraterrestrial Origins​​

There is probably no more influential thinker in the study of UFOs than the French astronomer and computer scientist, Jacques Vallée. Beginning in the late 1960s, Vallée drew ufologists’ attention to the symbolic or “meta-logical” qualities of UFO reports, and argued that there was a continuity of experience from anomalous sightings and entity encounters in historical folklore and mythology. For pioneering the first alternatives to the extraterrestrial explanation for UFOs, Vallée has earned a reputation as the grandfather of the “new” ufology, and he’s forced ufologists and anomalists of all persuasions to revisit old assumptions about UFOs, and what it is they’re doing here. (continue reading)

Japan Airlines 1628 UFO Encounter, 1986​​

Although it's not uncommon for pilots to witness UFOs, the case of Japan Airlines flight 1628 is remarkable for involving a prolonged and dramatic close encounter corroborated by multiple radar systems. The witnesses’ story attracted both media and government interest, and the resulting investigation unearthed a wealth of supporting evidence, including extensive radar data and radio transcripts that document official handling of the situation. The case is a stand-out example of an airline UFO encounter, and it tells us a lot about the ways in which the FAA, the airlines, and even the US intelligence community, work behind the scenes to manage what we hear about UFOs.  (continue reading)

The "Mothman" Encounters, 1966 - 1967​​

Today, the so-called “Mothman” - a humanoid monster with red eyes and big, bird-like wings - is a fixture of paranormal horror, immortalized in film. But though it has since slid into the realm of fiction, the “mothman” was first based on a well-documented wave of sightings in the northeastern United States between November 1966 and December 1967. These sightings coincided with a range of other anomalous phenomena far stranger than anything portrayed in the movie adaptation. The sheer volume of these reports, as well as their coincidence in time and space, make the year of the “mothman” one of the most fascinating and perplexing case studies in anomalous history. (continue reading)

UFO Disclosure? Part 2 - Luis Elizondo and the Space Force​​

In the first video in this two-part series, we reviewed the history of Tom DeLonge’s communications campaign for the US government, and the announcement of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, or AATIP, as well as the introduction of its former director, Luis Elizondo. I reminded viewers of the US government’s long history of seizing UFO evidence and deceiving UFO researchers, and argued that the To The Stars team, or TTSA, might be continuing this legacy of deception, rather than breaking from it. (continue reading)

UFO Disclosure? Part 1 - Tom DeLonge and AATIP​​

A number of viewers have asked my opinion on the US government’s recent moves towards UFO disclosure, so I’d like to devote this two-part series to reviewing these developments, and offering my take on them. In this first video, we’ll look at the statements of Tom DeLonge, former guitarist of blink-182, and the  secret government organization that DeLonge claimed to have helped reveal: the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, or AATIP. In the next video, we’ll look at the statements of AATIP’s director, Luis Elizondo; the UFO evidence disclosed since 2017; and the US military’s UFO report from June 2021. (continue reading)

Medieval UFOs? The Story of the "Flying Ship" over Ireland​​

In the middle of the 8th century CE, a small flotilla of “flying” ships were seen in the skies over Ireland, and a story soon began circulating around Western Europe that one of the sailors “swam” down to the people below. There are at least seven different versions of this story, with different details, but all share a few core elements, and play to the same metaphysical themes. Like other sightings of UFOs, the story of the flying ship compels us to believe in a race of “higher” beings from a world beyond our own, and calls attention to our human limitations. (continue reading)

"Foo Fighters" of World War II​​

After the famous Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting of 1947, the U.S. Air Force established the first-ever government office for investigating UFOs. However, it was not the first time that a U.S. government body had encountered reports of airborne anomalies. Throughout the Second World War, both Allied and German air crews saw strange, moving lights in the sky that they called “foo fighters.” The many extant reports of these things suggest that military brass was anything but unfamiliar with UFOs by the summer of 1947, and may have already had a plan in place to manage public perception of the UFO phenomenon. (continue reading)

Travis Walton Abduction, 1975​​

Though UFO experiencers are often visited alone, Travis Walton was apparently taken by a UFO for five days after it was seen up-close by six of his friends and co-workers. Despite the efforts of police, debunkers, and journalists to discredit their account of events, neither Walton nor any of his co-workers have ever admitted to a hoax, and all seven tell the same story today. The men’s testimony is considered some of the best evidence for extraterrestrial visitation to date, and Walton's fantastical experiences during his abduction - since dramatized in film and television - are now deeply embedded in the public imagination.​ (continue reading)

DMT and Entity Encounters​​

People often dismiss psychedelic drug experiences as “hallucinations,” but users of DMT - a naturally-occurring psychoactive compound - claim a very particular kind of experience, that often feels as real to them as waking life. What’s more, users often have encounters with strange, sentient beings that seem to be more than mental fabrications. Further research on DMT promises to shed light on the mechanics of consciousness, and may even contribute to our understanding of other anomalous experiences, including UFO abductions and ancient Hebrew prophetism. (continue reading)

An Introduction to Göbekli Tepe and the Origins of Civilization​​

Historians generally agree that humans have only been practicing agriculture for about 10,000 years, and built the first civilizations just 5 or 6 thousand years ago. However, the monumental complex of Göbekli Tepe in modern-day Turkey has been dated to almost 10,000 BCE, or nearly 12,000 years ago. It’s the world’s first example of a monumental structure built by hunter-gatherers, and features stonework previously thought to be well beyond the capabilities of such a loosely-organized society. The excavation is ongoing, but it’s already rewriting the story on humanity’s transition to agriculture, and the birth of civilization. (continue reading)

Yeren, Almas, and Yeti: Cryptid Hominoids in Asia​

Nearly everyone in the English-speaking world has heard stories of Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, and most have heard of the Yeti as well. But there are many ancient traditions of wild hominoids in Asia that are little known in Western culture, supported by hundreds of recorded sightings. These encounters have made their mark in Asian culture, and spurred a number of scientific expeditions. But despite the efforts of some of history’s greatest scientists and explorers, there is still a shortage of physical evidence for the creatures’ existence, and their true nature remains a mystery​. (continue reading)

UFOs over Nuremberg, 1561​

In the spring of 1561, many people in and around the German city of Nuremberg witnessed a swarm of strange, flying objects appear to do battle in the sky. A local publisher printed a broadsheet that recorded the event and depicted it in a striking woodcut illustration. This brief but intriguing account reminds us that UFOs have taken many forms throughout history, and were not always attributed to extraterrestrials. Like many UFO events, the sightings over Nuremberg were rich in symbolism, and played upon people’s hopes and fears in a way that raises interesting questions about the nature of the UFO phenomenon. (continue reading)

The Secret Commonwealth: Real Fairies in History​

When we think of fairies today, we often envision tiny, winged, pixie girls, and few believe that such things exist. But this image is largely a 19th-century invention, not based on fairy lore: those who actually saw the things typically described human-looking beings with little resemblance to the way that they’re portrayed in children’s books. In the late 17th century, a Scottish minister wrote a manuscript on the “secret commonwealth” of fairies that shared the Earth with humans. His book is a rare example of a formal exposition on the “invisible people,” as he called them, and offers a more evidence-based description of their kind. (continue reading)

Ariel School UFO Landing - Zimbabwe, 1994​

In September of 1994, more than 60 children at the Ariel primary school in Zimbabwe witnessed a strange silver object land outside the playground, and were approached by small, black beings with large, entrancing eyes. The children’s stories alarmed their teachers, and aroused the curiosity of the BBC, and the esteemed Harvard Psychiatrist, John E. Mack. While the common elements in the children’s stories suggest that the object and the beings were physically real, the many divergent details, and the kids’ highly personal reactions, suggest that there are many subjective elements to UFO and entity encounters that we don’t yet understand. (continue reading)

Harriet Tubman - Psychic, Seer​

Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in the fall of 1849, and returned to Maryland to free at least 70 more slaves before the Civil War. Tubman believed that she had a number of God-given powers that allowed her to free so many people, but many of her most remarkable abilities can be reproduced by those trained in remote viewing, for example, or lucid dreaming. A review of the anomalous events in Tubman’s life suggests that she may have exercised a number of psychic, or “psi,” abilities to sense danger, scout terrain, and even see the future. (continue reading)

Jackie Hernandez Poltergeist Case, 1989 - 1990​

After moving to San Pedro, California, Jackie Hernandez began experiencing a wave of anomalous phenomena that persisted after multiple relocations. Researchers collected an abundance of documentation - including photos, video, and physical evidence - over two years of activity, and the story attracted some significant media attention. The case involves elements of both hauntings and poltergeists, and exhibits the wide variety of activity that are common to both phenomena. It also compels researchers to question their categorization of different anomalies, and seek a more comprehensive explanation for anomalous phenomena. (continue reading)

The Hudson Valley UFO Sightings, 1982 - 86

It’s often claimed that ufology is not a science because UFO sightings don’t follow any patterns, or obey any “rules” that could be tested scientifically. But a string of sightings in the suburbs north of New York City demonstrate that UFOs are also far from random: over several years in the early 1980s, thousands of people saw V-shaped and circular formations of lights over the Hudson Valley, many as large as football fields. The sightings came in waves, often recurring in the same few areas, and frequently on the same few days of the week. Though these patterns are difficult to explain, they suggest that there is some logic to UFO activity that may one day be explained by science.​ (continue reading)

The Mysteries of the Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt is the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world to survive to the present day, and it remains a marvel of design and execution. Despite this, however, we know very little about its origins, or the purpose of its many peculiar features. Egyptologists generally agree that it was built as a Pharaoh’s tomb, but specialists from a variety of different disciplines have shown it to be vastly more complex than other pyramids, and very different from other tombs, suggesting that it may have had some other function altogether. (continue reading)

The Strange Case of Dr. X: UFOs and "Miracle" Healings

In 1968, an anonymous French physician saw two luminous UFOs from his living room window, and watched them merge into one. He was immediately healed of two serious injuries, and had a range of other anomalous experiences in the following years, first documented by the famed ufologist, Aimé Michel. Though typically associated with faith healers and miracle claims, spontaneous healings are alleged in hundreds of UFO reports, and claims of other anomalous phenomena are very common as well. The case of Dr. X suggests that these anomalies - and the effects that they have on witnesses - may actually be as important to understanding UFOs as the UFOs themselves. (continue reading)

Tehran UFO Incident, 1976: Iranian Fighter Jets Chase a UFO

Although there are many UFO sightings among pilots and air traffic controllers, one case in particular serves to shatter the myth that trained observers don't see UFOs. In September of 1976, the Iranian Air Force scrambled two Phantom jets to intercept a luminous, shape-shifting object drifting over the capital city of Tehran. But every time the jets approached it, their equipment failed, and the object darted away. The case is exemplary for involving a mix of radar data, physical effects, and multiple independent witnesses, and a classified report proves that it drew attention from the highest levels of the US government - despite official insistence to the contrary. (continue reading)

Debunking the Bower & Chorley Story: why Crop Circles aren't all Hoaxes

There are many people hoaxing crop circles today, but two artists from Hampshire, England are the only ones who claim to have been making them in the late 70s and 80s. In the early 1990s, Doug Bower and David Chorley told a British paper that they started the phenomenon in 1978, and made every formation found in the next nine years. But though the media bought the story, the men's claims do not stand up to scrutiny: here's why Bower and Chorley could not possibly have made all the circles they took credit for, and why hundreds of formations around the world are still left unexplained. (continue reading)

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