The cattle mutilation mystery has endured for almost 50 years. Who or what is behind the death and disfigurement of livestock around the globe? George Knapp welcomed researcher Christopher O'Brien for a discussion of his in-depth examination and analysis of this enigma. Investigator David Perkins also joined in the latter part of the conversation. While there are other animals that are found with body parts excised, 90% of the cases involve cattle, O'Brien pointed out, adding that all cattle descend from a single herd that was domesticated in northern Iran about 10,500 BC. While the animal mutilation cases started to appear in the 1960s, interestingly, there is some evidence that the phenomenon may have taken place much earlier, such as in a 1606 incident in England, he continued.

Perkins, who has investigated about 50 incidents, said the type of excisions bear a great deal of similarity, with cored rectums, udders removed, slices of the jaw cut off, the tongue missing, the area around the eye cut out, and sex organs removed. He has experienced some strange synchronicities during his investigations, as though the phenomena was somehow aware of his mental processes related to it. There have also been odd associations with the cases, such as the presence of robed figures being seen near where the animals were found, as well as UFOs and unmarked helicopters on the scene.

As to why the mutilated bodies of the animals are left behind, O'Brien suggested that the perpetrators can claim plausible deniability if they are never found with the bodies. As to the agenda behind the mutilations, it was Perkins who first proposed the environmental monitoring theory, as a wave of cases in the 1970s, appeared to be taking place downwind or downstream of where uranium was being utilized. A theory put forth by Colm Kelleher connects the mutilations to Mad Cow Disease, and the "prions" associated with this illness might have been a kind of bio-weapon that accidentally got released, O'Brien conjectured.

The Planes of Area 51

First hour guest, author Bill Yenne outlined how Area 51 has served as a testing ground for many of the most groundbreaking advancements in American military aviation technology, including Lockheed's U-2, and the stealth bombers. The isolated location in the Nevada desert was originally picked out for them to test out craft in secrecy, and in the 1950s, flights of the U-2 were sometimes mistaken for UFOs because they flew at higher elevations than normal planes, he noted. The SR-71, a two-seat plane that came out of Lockheed 'Skunkworks,' was one of the fastest aircraft ever, he added.