by UFO History Buff & Author, Charles Lear
By the time Project Blue Book was terminated, most UFO researchers, especially in the United States, were of the opinion that UFOs were nuts and bolts craft piloted by flesh and blood creatures from other planets. This is what has become known as the extraterrestrial hypothesis or ETH. At around the same time, as the 1960s gave way to the 1970s, Jacques Vallée had one book published and John Keel had two published, that challenged the ETH, and caused many in the UFO community to consider other options.
Vallée had his first UFO book, Anatomy of a Phenomenon, published in 1965 and his second, Challenge to Science, co-written with his wife, Janine, published in 1966. Both books make the argument that the UFO mystery is worthy of scientific study and present the elements of the problem in an organized manner in an effort to facilitate such study. In what would become characteristic in Vallée’s books, he presents accounts going back to antiquity, and he presents a lot of them. The books are lengthy and dry and hold little appeal for the average UFO enthusiast looking for sensational accounts of sightings and encounters. Read more
In this episode of Podcast UFO, Martin Willis and UFO Jack welcome 
This week on Podcast UFO, Martin Willis welcomes researcher and author Christian Lambright for a wide-ranging conversation on UFO disclosure, government secrecy, witness testimony, and the legacy of legendary investigator Ray Stanford. The discussion begins with Neil deGrasse Tyson’s apparent shift in attitude toward UFOs and explores why mainstream scientists and media figures may now be taking the subject more seriously. Along the way, the conversation dives into the psychology of belief, the reliability of eyewitness accounts, and how memory and perception can shape extraordinary experiences. Christian also shares fascinating insights into Ray Stanford’s remarkable UFO photography and film archive, including discussion of the mysterious “beam ahead” footage and other little-known cases that continue to challenge conventional explanations. The episode examines famous sightings, government transparency, the possibility of hidden programs buried within private contractors, and whether disclosure may ultimately come from outside official channels altogether. Thought-provoking, skeptical, and open-minded, this is a deep discussion about one of the world’s greatest enduring mysteries.
Robert Powell joins Podcast UFO to discuss the controversial May 8 UFO file release and why SCU says much of the material lacks the metadata needed for real scientific analysis. We discuss over-classification, AI-assisted UAP research, the Aguadilla case, government transparency, and the growing involvement of academia in UFO studies. Robert also previews the SCU 2026 Conference in Toronto featuring Christopher Mellon, Dr. Randy Bostick, Kevin Knuth, and many others.
In the early years of the flying saucer/UFO mystery, magazines played a significant part in the public perception of the phenomenon. One of the most popular magazines in that era was LIFE, which started covering saucer/UFO news at the very beginning during the 1947 summer of the saucers. For anyone interested in the early history of the phenomenon, Archives for the Unexplained has a collection of related magazine articles which includes LIFE 
Ted Bloecher, who passed away not