#961 - Graham Hancock, Randall Carlson & Michael Shermer

Graham Hancock is a British author and journalist who investigates anomalies in ancient history , proposing that an advanced civilization flourished during the last Ice Age and was obliterated by a global cataclysm approximately 12,800 years ago, with remnants of its knowledge preserved in the monuments and myths of subsequent cultures. Born in Edinburgh , Scotland , Hancock graduated from Durham University in 1973 with first-class honors in sociology before embarking on a career in journalism , contributing to publications such as The Economist , The Times , and The Guardian , and serving as East Africa correspondent for The Economist from 1981 to 1983. Transitioning to authorship in the 1980s, his early works included explorations of historical enigmas like the quest for the Ark of the Covenant in The Sign and the Seal (1992), but he gained international prominence with Fingerprints of the Gods (1995), which marshals evidence from global ancient sites—including astronomical alignments at the Giza pyramids and the precision of the Piri Reis map —to argue for inherited sophistication beyond the capabilities attributed to early humans by conventional timelines. Hancock's later books, such as Underworld (2002), Magicians of the Gods (2015), and America Before (2019), build on this foundation by incorporating underwater ruins, the Göbekli Tepe complex, and Younger Dryas impact hypothesis data to support claims of pre-cataclysm technological prowess and cultural diffusion . These theories, while popularizing alternative prehistory through bestsellers and the Netflix docuseries Ancient Apocalypse (2022), encounter resistance from academic establishments, which prioritize stratigraphic and radiocarbon evidence adhering to gradualist models of development, often sidelining interpretive analyses of mythological and architectural outliers that Hancock emphasizes. Graham Hancock was born on August 2, 1950, in Edinburgh , Scotland . His early childhood involved relocation to India at around age three or four, following his father's employment as a surgeon in a town near Chennai . Hancock later returned to England for secondary education in the city of Durham. He pursued higher education at Durham University , where he studied sociology and earned a First Class Honours degree in 1973. This academic background in sociology preceded his entry into journalism . Hancock pursued a career in journalism following his studies in sociology at Durham University . He initially worked as a freelance journalist , contributing to various British publications, and served as co-editor of the New Internationalist magazine from 1976 to 1979, where he focused on global development and social issues. In the early 1980s, Hancock took on the role of East Africa correspondent for The Economist from 1981 to 1983, reporting on regional economics, politics, and the impacts of foreign aid. His coverage highlighted the disconnect between international aid policies and their on-the-ground outcomes in countries facing famine , conflict, and underdevelopment, such as Ethiopia during its civil war and drought crises. This period informed his skeptical perspective on institutional aid efforts, which he later expanded in investigative reporting. Throughout his journalistic tenure, Hancock wrote for leading outlets including The Times , The Sunday Times , The Guardian , and The Independent , producing articles on Third World economics and governance. His work emphasized empirical critiques of aid bureaucracies, drawing on firsthand observations rather than official narratives, though it occasionally strained his financial stability amid freelance demands. By the mid-1980s, these experiences prompted a shift toward book-length investigations, marking the transition from daily reporting to longer-form analysis.

Randall Carlson is an architectural designer, geological researcher, and "renegade scholar" best known for his theories on ancient civilizations and catastrophic earth history. He has gained significant public attention through multiple appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience and as a featured expert in the Netflix docuseries Ancient Apocalypse.

Michael Brant Shermer (born September 8, 1954) is an American writer, historian of science , and promoter of scientific skepticism , best known as the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine and executive director of the Skeptics Society , which he established in 1992 to investigate claims of the paranormal and pseudoscience through empirical inquiry. Shermer earned a B.A. in psychology from Pepperdine University , an M.A. in experimental psychology from California State University, Fullerton , and a Ph.D. in the history of science from Claremont Graduate University , credentials that informed his shift from evangelical Christianity and creationism in his youth to atheism and acceptance of evolutionary theory. He has authored more than a dozen books, including the New York Times bestsellers Why People Believe Weird Things (1997), which dissects the psychology of superstition and pseudoscience , and The Believing Brain (2011), which examines how beliefs form through pattern-seeking and confirmation bias rather than evidence. As a monthly columnist for Scientific American from 2001 to 2019, Shermer wrote 214 articles applying skeptical analysis to topics ranging from religion and politics to economics and environmental claims, emphasizing first-hand evidence over anecdotal testimony. Currently a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University where he teaches courses on skepticism , Shermer hosts The Michael Shermer Show podcast , featuring interviews with scientists and thinkers to explore rationality and human cognition . Michael Shermer was born Michael Brant Shermer on September 8, 1954, in Glendale, California , to parents Richard and Lois Shermer. His parents divorced during his early childhood, after which he grew up primarily in Southern California , including the La Cañada Flintridge area, alongside several step-siblings. Shermer was raised in a non-religious household that did not emphasize faith or organized religion . As a teenager in the early 1970s, however, he underwent a personal conversion to born-again Christian fundamentalism , influenced by the cultural currents of the era and his social circle. This shift marked a significant early formative experience , though he later attributed his initial worldview primarily to parental guidance and peer interactions rather than formal theological instruction. Shermer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Pepperdine University in 1976. Although he initially enrolled at Pepperdine intending to study Christian theology, he changed his major to psychology. He continued his graduate studies in psychology , obtaining a Master of Arts degree in experimental psychology from California State University, Fullerton , in 1978. Shermer later shifted focus to the history of science , earning a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University in 1991. His doctoral dissertation, titled Heretic-Scientist: Alfred Russel Wallace and the Evolution of Man , examined the life and contributions of the co-discoverer of natural selection . Shermer began his competitive cycling career in 1979, riding professionally for a decade primarily in long-distance ultramarathon road racing . He achieved multiple world records in transcontinental events, including three in the Seattle-to-San Diego race, with one set in 1986, and another in the 1983 Miami-to-Maine race. In 1982, Shermer co-founded the Race Across America (RAAM), a 3,000-mile nonstop transcontinental bicycle race . He competed in the event three times, securing third place in 1985 after completing 3,150 miles in 10 days and 7 hours while sleeping only 90 minutes every 24 hours and enduring an 83-hour stretch without rest; his other finishes included participation in 1983 and 1989. In the 1986 Spenco 500-mile race, he placed seventh. Shermer is a founding member of the Ultra Cycling Hall of Fame, recognizing his contributions to the sport. His professional cycling tenure ended in 1989.