Researcher Giorgio Tsoukalos discussed his research in the ancient astronaut field. The theory, first popularized by Erich Von Daniken, posits that Earth was visited by extraterrestrials in ancient times. Civilization was sparked by the ET's "targeted mutation of our genes in the remote past," said Tsoukalos. Many diverse cultures have similar creation myths that involve descriptions of something like a cosmic egg emerging from a faraway place, and then a heavenly ladder descending with beings who come to teach humankind, he noted.

Tsoukalos suggested that ancient peoples didn't understand the ET aspect and misinterpreted their technology as something magical, spiritual, or God-like. Along those lines, ancient dragons in Chinese folklore and the huge Native American Thunderbirds may have been machines rather than animals, he said. For instance, an ancient Chinese wood carving depicted flying chariots drawn by dragons who bellowed out noise, and had iron feet.

He cited the work of David Davenport who found evidence of an atomic explosion that took place around 2000 BC in the ancient city of Mohenjo Daro in India. Glassy lumps or fragments indicating extreme heat along with unburied skeletons were found at the site. Tsoukalos also noted that on the Golden Record sent out as part of the Voyager mission, it curiously contained a message in Sumerian (a dead language)-- could that be an attempt to communicate with the ancient visitors, he wondered. Look for his new TV series, Ancient Aliens (a spin-off of his earlier special) to debut on the History Channel this April.

Census Commentary

First hour guest, radio host Alex Jones offered commentary on the 2010 Census, which he views as a privacy invasion by the US government. Beyond asking about the number of people that live at a residence, questions such as about people's income, and mortgage payments are none of the government's business and unconstitutional, he stated.