Home Podcasts It‘s Probably (not) Aliens!
It‘s Probably (not) Aliens!

It‘s Probably (not) Aliens!

Tristan Johnson & Scott Niswander 161 Episodes Oct 13, 2026

Historian Tristan Johnson and regular human Scott Niswander debunk the ancient astronaut theory presented in History Channel's Ancient Aliens. Each week they explore the real history behind ancient monuments and forgotten civilizations, separating fact from fiction. The show aims to appreciate the achievements of ancient societies without attributing them to extraterrestrial visitors.

Episodes

Ramanujan: Show Your Work or They'll Make It Aliens
Ramanujan: Show Your Work or They'll Make It Aliens Oct 13, 2026 01:33:45 Srinivasa Ramanujan did extraordinary mathematics, and Ancient Aliens would like to credit his extraterrestrial internet provider. His accounts of dreams and devotion to the Hindu goddess Namagiri become evidence of an alien download. Scott realizes his childhood refusal to show his work could get his homework dragged into this.We look at the expensive paper, borrowed books and mathematic
Angkor Wat: Colonialism Went to Space College
Angkor Wat: Colonialism Went to Space College Oct 6, 2026 01:22:34 Ancient Aliens would like you to believe Angkor Wat required a trip to space college and a supply of magic water. Apparently, giving Khmer builders credit for knowing how to build things is asking too much.We look at the religious poem being repackaged as an alien encounter, the canals used to transport sandstone, and the enormous amount of skilled, often coerced labour behind the temple.
Joan of Arc: God Forbid a Girl Break a Siege
Joan of Arc: God Forbid a Girl Break a Siege Sep 29, 2026 01:30:18 A 17-year-old peasant girl helps turn the tide of the Hundred Years' War, and Ancient Aliens would like to speak to her extraterrestrial supervisor. Apparently, Joan of Arc couldn't have rallied an army without someone uploading military strategy into her brain.We look at what that explanation leaves out: the religious world Joan grew up in, a church bureaucracy that evaluated visions, an
Rendlesham Forest: 'Trust Me, Bro' in Binary
Rendlesham Forest: 'Trust Me, Bro' in Binary Sep 22, 2026 01:29:23 An airman touches a UFO in Rendlesham Forest, downloads a binary message into his brain, and keeps the evidence to himself for 30 years. That's the story Ancient Aliens wants us to accept. Conveniently, the message becomes public in time for television.We examine the notebook behind the claim, the details that grow with each retelling, and why a string of ones and zeros needs more than “t
We Goofed: Scott Had a Baby. We Have Bad News.
We Goofed: Scott Had a Baby. We Have Bad News. Sep 15, 2026 01:15:31 Scott is back from parental leave and asks what he missed. Tristan opens with the war in Iran. Welcome back, buddy.We kick off the season with a news catch-up and corrections on Yellowstone's supposed apocalypse schedule, willow bark and aspirin, and how Soviet worker awards helped bosses demand more work. Scott gets challenged on Scooby-Doo continuity and Thanos's motives, then looks for
Walking Amogus
Walking Amogus Jun 16, 2026 01:09:09 David Jacobs spent his retirement from teaching history at Temple University convinced that alien-human hybrids he calls hubrids are quietly moving into apartments in Philadelphia, taking jobs, and waiting for a signal to enslave the planet. The catch is that these telepathic interstellar conquerors apparently cannot work a toaster, order a coffee, or figure out when to clap at a concert,
The Real Mantis Was The Exploitation We Made Along The Way
The Real Mantis Was The Exploitation We Made Along The Way Jun 9, 2026 01:20:42 Somewhere in the deep lore of alien abduction, past the gray guys who run the equipment, sits a manager. Six to nine feet of praying mantis, purple robe for rank, telepathic, standing at the head of the table while the drones do the wet work. It regards you the way a farmer regards livestock. This week, Tristan brings on Stanford (yes, the one we verbally abused all of last season, now a
Rosicrucianism Was Just A 1614 S***post
Rosicrucianism Was Just A 1614 S***post Jun 2, 2026 01:11:58 In 1980, a mysterious stranger named R.C. Christian spent the equivalent of $200,000 to erect 19-foot-tall, 119-ton granite monuments in rural Georgia. Ancient Aliens wants you to believe the "Georgia Guidestones" are an extraterrestrial warning to keep the human population under 500 million, passed down by the secret Rosicrucian order. Tristan and guest Sarah Davis Baker are here to info
Nikola Tesla Was Never Forgotten, He Was Just Sad
Nikola Tesla Was Never Forgotten, He Was Just Sad May 26, 2026 01:39:15 Ancient Aliens wants you to believe Nikola Tesla was an alien conduit whose secret death ray was buried by the FBI. The actual story: the "vault" they seized in 1943 contained a Wheatstone bridge, which was the 1940s version of a multimeter you could order from a catalogue. The MIT physicist who wrote the dismissive evaluation report was, no joke, John G. Trump, uncle of the current US pr
Tartaria: A Russian Psyop For People Who Hate Drywall
Tartaria: A Russian Psyop For People Who Hate Drywall May 19, 2026 01:44:16 Have you ever looked at a beautiful old train station and felt something had been lost? Good news: the something is "labour protections." Bad news: a Russian topologist from the 1980s has a different theory, and it's currently eating TikTok.This week, Tristan is joined by Mia Mulder, who happens to have made the definitive YouTube video on this exact topic two years ago and then forgot sh
Leonardo da Vinci Was Just A Guy With ADHD
Leonardo da Vinci Was Just A Guy With ADHD May 12, 2026 01:11:35 Ancient Aliens claims Leonardo da Vinci was contacted by extraterrestrials, in person or telepathically, and given blueprints for tanks, helicopters, and parachutes centuries ahead of his time. Tristan and guest host Sophie Edwards (We Have Always Existed) walk through what's actually in the sketches. Sophie also has a YouTube channel called We Have Always Existed about gender-nonconformi
Anarchist praxis in the 17th century (a love story)
Anarchist praxis in the 17th century (a love story) May 5, 2026 01:34:28 Tristan flies solo without Scott (now on baby duty) and brings in Phil and Kevin from the Pixelit podcast to crack open Nan Madol, the stone complex sitting on a coral reef in Pohnpei. Ancient Aliens says it was built by giants from the stars who ran a hybrid breeding program before culling the survivors. The actual story is way better: a feudal dynasty extracted so much labour from its p

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