WE ARE NOT ALONE in having bad breath! Tic Tacs are here to freshen our planet with a delightful minty taste. But seriously folks, WTF is going on with the startling images of mysterious tic tac shapes appearing on the US NAVY ship based radar, and on the infrared VIDEO SCREENS of their fighter planes, and in front of the eyes pilots. These images have, incredibly and almost uniquely in the history of UFOs, been featured in the NEW YORK TIMES and on the legendary CBS News program, 60 MINUTES, and of course on social media all the way from here to Pluto. MICK WEST is the host of the TALES FROM THE RABBIT HOLE podcast and author of ESCAPING THE RABBIT HOLE, and who's YouTube channel is essential viewing for anyone interested testing claims of extraordinary phenomena from the fringe, including 9/11 conspiracy theories, contrails, and UFO's. We're grateful for his taking time to walk up the ramp into our hovering WTIF studio and conduct an important thought experiment with us: What The IF these really are flying craft performing feats beyond not only our known TECHNOLOGY, but even beyond our current understanding of PHYSICS itself? Science advances through dogged observation of BIZARRE phenomena and using experimentation, and rumination, to expand our understanding of nature. And it's a two way street, this IF, because it's also a way of evaluating eyewitness testimony and hard data. We learn all kinds of fun and fascinating science along the way: physics, biology, aerodynamics, electromagnetism and more. And we discuss some of the most prominent eyewitness testimony, including that of Navy pilots and radar technicians who have sat down with Mick over the past few years in extensive interviews, providing him with a trove of details about what they remember from these events, some going as far back as 2004. There's also tons of cool science to be learned from the examination of the process of understanding eyewitness testimony, too. How do we evaluate these stories, especially when they come from such heroes as those who have devoted their lives to defending the nation (and perhaps even the planet)? Put on your helmet, strap into the cockpit, fire those afterburners and let's go check out some SPOOKY ACTION at an all-too-close distance... because we need to know, and no matter what the outcome, the process of pursuing this quest brings us all kinds of super awesome science! --- Mick West is a co-founder and former Technical Director of Neversoft Entertainment and helped create the billion-dollar franchise: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. After leaving Neversoft, Mick spent time coding, writing, and learning to fly a small plane. This eventually led him to his interest in the "chemtrails" conspiracy theory, and the creation of the site ContrailScience.com. Mick now runs Metabunk.org, a forum of and about the polite debunking of theories from 9/11 conspiracies to the Flat Earth. His first book, Escaping the Rabbit Hole, draws upon his debunking experience and research to provide a set of tools and information that people can use to help their friends find their way out of the rabbit hole of conspiracy thinking. Twitter: @MickWest YouTube: MickWest Facebook: Metabunk Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mick-West/e/B0781K1G29 Websites: MickWest.com Metabunk.org ContrailScience.com CowboyProgramming.com --- Got an IF of your own? Want to have us consider your idea for a show topic? Send YOUR IF to us! Email us at feedback@whattheif.com and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too small, or too big! --- Want to support the show? Click a rating or add a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app! itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1250517051?mt=2&ls=1 Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip, Matt & Gaby