Jarod Yates

Jarod Yates is a physicist and materials analyst who emerged as a key figure in public materials analysis of alleged UFO crash debris in 2024–2025. Working as part of Falcon Crew alongside Tim Ventura and Mark Sokol, Yates has spearheaded scientific examination of the Art's Parts collection—metallic samples allegedly linked to the 1947 Roswell incident.

Materials Analysis Work

On June 26, 2024, Yates and his team received custody of a small sample of Art's Parts for independent analysis. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), the team conducted elemental and structural characterization. The sample—approximately 7 mg—revealed an unusual hexagonal crystalline structure with a composition including magnesium, bismuth, zinc, and lead. Under magnification, the material displayed colored microspheres, some of which showed ruptures suggesting prior thermal or energetic exposure.

Yates has expanded analysis to include neutron activation analysis (NAA) and terahertz spectroscopy, investigating whether the material's properties correlate with the so-called "magic window" of terahertz frequencies (3.2–5.6 THz), a range theorized by some researchers to have relevance to exotic propulsion or device operations. He has also coordinated analysis of samples from the San Augustin, Dalnegorsk, and Roswell skip-site collections, extending the comparative materials database.

Public Presentation and Methodology

Unlike some crash-retrieval claimants, Yates has emphasized transparency and peer scrutiny. He has presented his findings at technical conferences, including the Alternative Propulsion Engineering Conference (APEC) in March 2025 and Falcon Space 2024, making raw data, SEM micrographs, and elemental composition maps publicly available. His work has drawn both interest from serious researchers and scrutiny from skeptics, including documented attempts by AARO officials to preemptively critique the findings before detailed results were released.

Significance and Constraints

Yates represents a distinct category in contemporary UAP research: the applied materials scientist willing to examine physical evidence without predetermined conclusions. His work differs from both categorical skepticism and unqualified endorsement; he conducts rigorous spectroscopy and crystallography while openly acknowledging that materials analysis alone cannot confirm provenance or origin. The Art's Parts sample chain of custody remains contested—no independent chain-of-custody documentation has been made public—and Yates' analysis has not claimed to definitively prove extraterrestrial manufacture, only to report elemental and structural anomalies worthy of further investigation.

Since 2024, Yates has become a key figure in what might be called "citizen materials science" on UFO phenomena, bridging academic rigor and grassroots disclosure advocacy. His presentations and publications have contributed to the 2025–2026 disclosure landscape by demonstrating that sophisticated analytical work on alleged crash material can proceed outside government classification.