Join us as we dive into one of ancient history's most persistent myths: Archimedes' legendary death ray. From Ancient Aliens' claims of extraterrestrial technology to Mythbusters' multiple attempts to recreate it, we explore how this mathematical genius became associated with a weapon that probably never existed. But don't worry - we'll also discover the actually-awesome Claw of Archimedes, talk about why steampunk deserved better, and learn how the same principles behind this mythical death ray are now being used to fight climate change. Plus: why running naked through the streets shouting "Eureka" probably didn't happen either (sorry).

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Music by Rod Kim | Cover art by Skutch

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Was Alexander the Great's historic campaign into India really halted by alien intervention? Ancient astronaut theorists say yes (of course they do), claiming mysterious flying shields scared his war elephants. We dive into the actual historical records, discuss why troops might not want to march through mountain deserts with elephants, and explore how one of history's most influential figures became the subject of pseudohistorical alien theories. Plus, we learn way too much about medieval siege tactics involving hot sand and... other substances.

Check out Dael Kingsmill here.

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Music by Rod Kim | Cover art by Skutch

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Ancient Aliens claims that mythological super-weapons - from Zeus's thunderbolts to Poseidon's trident - were actually advanced alien technology misinterpreted by ancient peoples. But what if these legendary artifacts were actually serving a different purpose? Join us as we explore how these weapons represented divine authority, natural forces, and cultural values rather than extraterrestrial tech. We'll dive into Sumerian tablets of destiny, Greek divine arsenals, and other mythological weapons to show how removing cultural context leads to some pretty wild alien theories. Plus, we discuss why ancient peoples were perfectly capable of creating compelling stories without extraterrestrial intervention.

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Music by Rod Kim | Cover art by Skutch

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From fiery chariots in the Bible to flying turtles in Native American mythology, ancient stories are full of fantastic flying vehicles and creatures. But while Ancient Aliens insists these are proof of extraterrestrial technology, we dive into the real cultural and religious significance behind these myths. Join us as we explore how ancient astronaut theorists strip away the rich symbolic meaning of sacred stories to push their alien agenda, and learn why a flying turtle teaching humility makes way more sense than an alien spaceship in disguise.

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Music by Rod Kim | Cover art by Skutch

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From the Great Pyramids to Baalbek, ancient astronaut theorists claim that mysterious acoustic levitation technology was used to move massive stones. But what happens when you actually look at the physics of sound? Join us as we explore the real engineering achievements of ancient civilizations, debunk the myths around acoustic levitation, and discover why using sound waves to move massive rocks would literally liquidize human organs. Plus, we'll dive into the actual historical evidence of how these magnificent structures were built - spoiler alert: it involved a lot of beer.

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Music by Rod Kim | Cover art by Skutch

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Ancient Aliens claims the walls of Jericho were destroyed by advanced alien sonic weapons powered by the Ark of the Covenant. Plus: The best Veggie Tales songs, medieval siege tactics, and why aliens with faster-than-light technology probably would have just invented gunpowder instead.

Check out our guest this week Tom Nicholas.

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Music by Rod Kim | Cover art by Skutch

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From Egyptian sun disks to Mayan turtle sculptures, watch in horror as Ancient Aliens transforms religious symbols into spaceships, completely ignoring centuries of cultural context and artistic expression. Learn about the actual meanings behind these ancient artworks while questioning why Ancient Aliens thinks people from the past were incapable of abstract thought or, you know, just making cool stuff because they wanted to. Features special appearances by the sun god Ra, some very meaningful turtles, and self-described-expternally-described-as-modern-day-indiana-jones David Childress make baffling claims about cave paintings.

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Music by Rod Kim | Cover art by Skutch

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Gavrilo Princip probably wasn't munching on a sandwich when he decided to kick off World War I. This, along with other thrilling things we did wrong, is in this one. We'll also explore how we managed to confuse rocks, misplace a few billion dollars in military spending, and accidentally transport a moustached TV host to the Mexican desert - all in a day's work.

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Tristan Johnson Bluesky | Twitter | YouTube

Scott Niswander Bluesky | Twitter | YouTube

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Ask us questions and send us topics to talk about at ProbsNotAliens.com

Music by Rod Kim | Cover art by Skutch

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.