Shows
SETI LiveComet 3I/ATLAS Perihelion UpdateWhat happens when a visitor from another star system drops by? Join planetary astronomers Franck Marchis and Ariel Graykowski for a special SETI Live all about Comet 3I/ATLAS — only the third known interstellar object ever detected! Astronomers around the world, including citizen scientists in the Unistellar Network, are racing to learn as much as possible about this rare cosmic traveler. 3I/ATLAS is swinging through our neighborhood, reaching perihelion on October 30, 2025, just inside the orbit of Mars — a front-row seat for spacecraft like Lucy and Psyche. While it's currently hidden behind the Sun, it won't stay that way for...
2025-11-2849 min
Darkness RadioReinventing SETI: New Directions in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life w/ John Gertz & Scotty RorekDarkness Radio Presents: Reinventing SETI: New Directions in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life w/ John Gertz & Scotty Rorek!
In today's Thanksgiving Episode, you get a double helping of guests! Scientist/Author John Gertz and Psychic/Medium Scotty Rorek!
For millennia, humanity has looked up at the sprawling tapestry of stars and wondered what lay beyond. With time, we learned that each star is not a pinprick point in a domed sky, but a massive plasma sphere so far away that the distance becomes incomprehensible to the human mind, measured in light years of millions and billions. T...
2025-11-271h 35Darkness RadioReinventing SETI: New Directions in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life w/ John Gertz & Scotty RorekDarkness Radio Presents: Reinventing SETI: New Directions in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life w/ John Gertz & Scotty Rorek!
In today's Thanksgiving Episode, you get a double helping of guests! Scientist/Author John Gertz and Psychic/Medium Scotty Rorek!
For millennia, humanity has looked up at the sprawling tapestry of stars and wondered what lay beyond. With time, we learned that each star is not a pinprick point in a domed sky, but a massive plasma sphere so far away that the distance becomes incomprehensible to the human mind, measured in light years of millions and billions. T...
2025-11-271h 35SETI LiveThis Microbe Breathes Two Ways! The Bacteria That Challenge BiochemistryJoin host Beth Johnson on SETI Live as she talks with Dr. Eric Boyd from the University of Montana about a groundbreaking discovery: microbes that can breathe in two ways at once! These extraordinary bacteria simultaneously perform both aerobic (oxygen-based) and anaerobic (sulfur-based) respiration, challenging everything we thought we knew about cellular life. Discover how this incredible metabolic flexibility reshapes our understanding of life on Earth, inspires biotechnology innovations, and even informs the search for extraterrestrial life. 🔬 Featured Research: Quanta Magazine overview: https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-cells-that-breathe-two-ways-20250723/ Original study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56418-4 Dr. Boyd...
2025-11-2540 minSETI LiveThe Hidden Ocean of Ariel: Tidal Forces and the Case for a Watery PastCould Uranus's moon Ariel have once harbored a vast, deep ocean beneath its icy crust—perhaps even one that still lingers today? In this episode of SETI Live, host Beth Johnson welcomes Caleb Strom (University of North Dakota) and Alex Pathoff (Planetary Science Institute) to discuss new research revealing evidence that Ariel may have once held a subsurface ocean over 170 kilometers deep. Using geological mapping and tidal‐stress modeling, the team shows how ancient fractures and ridges on Ariel's surface hint at powerful internal forces and a dynamic, watery past. This discovery expands the growing family of "ocean worlds"—planet...
2025-11-2141 minSETI LiveDo Aliens Speak Physics? And Other Questions about Science and the Nature of RealityDo Aliens Speak Physics?: And Other Questions about Science and the Nature of Reality (Whiteson & Warner, 2025) is a mind-bending exploration into what it would mean, scientifically and philosophically, for humans to communicate with an extraterrestrial intelligence through the language of physics. Daniel Whiteson, a particle physicist, and Andy Warner tackle deep questions: Are concepts like "number," "space," "time," and "laws of nature" universal, or are they shaped by our biology, culture, and perception? What assumptions do we make that might not translate to a species evolved under utterly different conditions? The book pushes us to examine where physics ends...
2025-11-1443 minSETI LiveBirth of Planets: JWST Spots Hot Mineral Condensation in a Proto-Stellar SystemHow do planets start? Host Simon Steel (SETI Institute) speaks with Melissa McClure (Leiden University), lead author of a new study that caught the earliest spark of planet formation. Using JWST and ALMA, the team detected silicon monoxide (SiO)—both gaseous and likely crystalline—and pinpointed where hot, rock-forming minerals are condensing inside the protoplanetary disk of HOPS-315, ~1300 light-years away in Orion. They also map the action to a belt-like region similar to our Solar System's asteroid belt. What does SiO reveal about shocks, heat, and the first solids that seed planets? Join us to unpack the chemistry, the phys...
2025-11-1135 minSETI LiveSpace Weather Alert! Sunspots, Coronal Holes, and Space StormsThe Sun is restless again! A massive coronal hole has opened up, sending streams of solar wind racing toward Earth. These high-speed particles not only light up our skies with dazzling auroras but can also affect satellites, power grids, and communications. In this special SETI Live, heliophysicist Dr. Becca Robinson (SETI Institute) joins host Simon Steel (Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute) to explain what coronal holes are, how they form, and what their impacts mean for both our technology and our understanding of the Sun. Join us on October 7 at 2:30 pm PT for...
2025-11-0741 minSETI LiveLaserSETI Live Puerto Rico Edition: A New Observatory & Revisiting the Wow! SignalJoin us for a special livestream featuring Dr. Abel Méndez from the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, hosted by SETI Institute researcher Dr. Lauren Sgro. They will discuss the latest on LaserSETI, the all-sky project searching for optical technosignatures, including exciting updates from the new installation in Puerto Rico. This special "LaserSETI Live" will also dive into Méndez's new study on the legendary Wow! Signal, in which he and his team revisit one of the most intriguing mysteries in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence with fresh analysis and new insights. This event connects Puerto Rico's rich le...
2025-10-0341 minSETI LivePulsing White Dwarf! Decoding a Strange Radio RhythmJoin us for a 30-minute livestream with Simon Steel, Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Center for Research at the SETI Institute, and Dr. Sanne Bloot, lead author of a recent study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. They will discuss one of the universe's most puzzling new discoveries: a white dwarf that emits highly polarized radio pulses in a strange, patterned rhythm. (Recorded live 28 August 2025.)
2025-09-3034 minSETI LiveCan We Recognize Alien Life? Ocean Worlds and the Search for LifeJoin communications specialist Beth Johnson for a conversation with Dr. Anastasia Yanchilina, Frank Drake Postdoctoral Fellow at the SETI Institute, as we explore how life might emerge and/or be mistaken for in environments beyond Earth. Dr. Yanchilla studies abiotic mineral structures, or "chemical gardens," that resemble biological life but form entirely through non-living processes. By recreating these systems under conditions similar to hydrothermal vents on ocean worlds such as Enceladus and Mars, she investigates how to distinguish between life and non-life, and what this means for the origin of life on Earth. We'll discuss how minerals, organics, and...
2025-09-2635 minSETI LiveCitizen Science in Astronomy (Part 7): Comet 3I/ATLAS and a Disintegrating ExoplanetJoin Dr. Franck Marchis, Director of Citizen Science at the SETI Institute, Chief Science Officer and co-founder of Unistellar, and co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of SkyMapper, and Dr. Lauren Sgro, Outreach Manager at the SETI Institute, for a conversation on citizen science with the Unistellar network in partnership with the SETI Institute. We will talk about amateur astronomer observations of Comet 3I/ATLAS, a disintegrating exoplanet, asteroid (762) Pulcova, and the satellite Tanager. We will also answer your questions about our program from the Unistellar community page and discuss recent highlights. (Recorded live 14 August 2025.)
2025-09-2341 minSETI LiveClosest Exoplanet Yet? JWST Reveals Neighboring Planet CandidateJoin astronomers Franck Marchis (SETI Institute) and Julien Girard (Space Telescope Science Institute) for a 30-minute live discussion unpacking NASA's exciting new findings from JWST. Just announced, JWST has revealed strong evidence of a Saturn-mass gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A—the Sun's nearest solar twin—located just 4 light-years away. The planet appears to orbit at about 1 to 2 AU, placing it within the star's habitable zone, though as a gas giant, it's not likely habitable itself. (Recorded live 8 August 2025.)
2025-09-1938 minSETI LiveOrbital Oddity and Neptune: Resonant Object Hints at Planetary MigrationJoin us for a 30-minute live conversation with astronomer Dr. Rosemary E. Pike, lead author of a groundbreaking new study that reveals the discovery of a rare and distant object orbiting in resonance with Neptune. Hosted by Beth Johnson of the SETI Institute, this stream will explore the science behind this unusual trans-Neptunian object, what it tells us about the early solar system, and why its orbital alignment is so surprising. (Recorded live 7 August 2025.)
2025-09-1636 minSETI LiveComet 3I/ATLAS: A Visitor from Beyond the Solar SystemComets are cosmic time capsules, but some carry stories from far beyond our Solar System. Join us for a live discussion on Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object to visit our cosmic neighborhood. Host Simon Steel, Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute, will be joined by a panel of experts to explore what makes this comet unique, how scientists are studying it, and what its presence means for our understanding of planetary systems beyond our own. Guests include: Dr. James Davenport, Research Assistant Professor at the University of Washington...
2025-09-0934 min
Between The BeatsJohn Gertz - Author - Reinventing SETI: New Directions in the Search for Extraterrestrial IntelligenceInterviewed live on KVLF on 8-25-2025John Gertz is a leader in the field of SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, having served three terms as chairman of the board of the SETI institute and he currently serves as the only layman on the Breakthrough Listen Advisory Board. He has published a number of peer reviewed theoretic papers on the subject of SETI.Reinventing SETI: New Directions in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligenceby John GertzProvides a digestible and captivating overview of cosmological topics related to the Search for Extraterrestrial I...
2025-08-2620 minSETI LiveDreams of Biogenesis: A Conversation with Artist Jennifer WilletHow does life begin? This intriguing question touches on science, philosophy, and the imagination. Artist and INCUBATOR Art Lab Director Jennifer Willet created an artwork that visualizes the theories of SETI Institute Drake Award recipients Dr. David Deamer and Dr. John Baross. Willet's work, Dreams of Biogenesis, imagines the birth of life on our planet as a reverie of molecules, cells, micro and multicellular organisms assembling and evolving under unique environmental conditions. Join SETI AIR Director Bettina Forget and Jennifer Willet for a conversation about creative research that combines fine arts practices with applied biotechnologies. INCUBATOR Art Lab: https...
2025-07-1529 minSETI LiveNSF–DOE Rubin Observatory First Look: Stunning Images and Asteroids AplentyLast week, the NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory released its First Look images, including stunning views of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae, an astounding Cosmic Treasure Chest of stars and galaxies, and a "swarm" of newly discovered asteroids. Captured in a mere ten hours of observing time, this preview gave us a taste of what is to come for the groundbreaking observatory. As the press release states, "Rubin's innovative 8.4-meter telescope has the largest digital camera ever built, which feeds a powerful data processing system. Later in 2025, Rubin will begin its primary mission, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LS...
2025-07-0834 minSETI LiveLaserSETI Update: On Exhibit in London and a New Station in Puerto RicoA major new exhibition at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, Space: Could Life Exist Beyond Earth?, runs from May 17, 2025, to January 4, 2026, and will feature a complete LaserSETI instrument on display. The exhibit explores one of humanity's most profound questions: Are we alone in the universe? The exhibition brings together cutting-edge science, captivating artifacts, and the latest research in astrobiology, exoplanets, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. LaserSETI represents a new frontier in SETI, using a global network of instruments to continuously scan the night sky for brief laser pulses—potential signs of technology from beyond Earth. The fi...
2025-07-0138 minSETI LiveCould Aliens See Us? What Earth's Technosphere Reveals🌍 What Will Earth Look Like in 1000 Years? Will humanity collapse, thrive, or colonize the stars—and could alien civilizations detect us? Join senior planetary astronomer Dr. Franck Marchis for a fascinating conversation with Dr. Jacob Haqq-Misra, astrobiologist and lead author of a groundbreaking study exploring 10 possible futures for Earth's technosphere—the global network of our technologies—and what these futures mean for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). 🚀 From stable zero-growth societies to interstellar expansion, Dr. Haqq-Misra's team models how Earth's trajectory might look over the next millennium and what clues we might be sending into space. Could future Earth resemb...
2025-06-1730 minSETI LiveUnistellar + Citizen Science Q&A (Part 6): Comet SWAN, Satellites, Asteroid LeonaJoin Dr. Franck Marchis, Chief Science Officer and co-founder at Unistellar and director of Citizen Science at SETI Institute, and Dr. Lauren Sgro, Outreach Manager at the SETI Institute, for a conversation on citizen science with the Unistellar network in partnership with the SETI Institute. We will give an update on T CrB, share our new Satellites mode, discuss an exoplanet candidate campaign to confirm a planet, and look ahead to an occultation of asteroid 319 Leona. We will also answer your questions about our program from the Unistellar community page and discuss recent highlights. (Recorded live 17 April 2025.)
2025-04-2944 minSETI LiveWhy is Mars Red? New Research Suggests Ferrihydrite is the KeyIn a recent study, Dr. Janice Bishop of the SETI Institute, along with postdoctoral researcher Adomas Valantinas from Brown University, propose that Mars' characteristic red hue is primarily due to ferrihydrite—a water-rich iron oxide mineral—rather than the previously assumed hematite. Analyses of data collected by Martian orbiters, rovers, and laboratory experiments showed that ferrihydrite closely matches the composition of the dust covering Mars' surface. Ferrihydrite typically forms in environments abundant in cool water, suggesting Mars once had significant liquid water on its surface. The research implies that Mars transitioned from a wet to a dry environment billions of y...
2025-04-1533 minSETI LiveA PUNCH for the Sun: NASA's Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and HeliosphereNASA's Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere, or PUNCH mission, is a constellation of four small satellites in low Earth orbit that will make global, 3D observations of the Sun's corona to better understand how the mass and energy there become the solar wind that fills the solar system. Imaging the Sun's corona and the solar wind together will help scientists better understand the entire inner heliosphere—the Sun, solar wind, and Earth—as a single connected system. Solar wind and energetic solar events like flares and coronal mass ejections can create space weather effects throughout the solar syst...
2025-03-1836 min
Into the Impossible With Brian KeatingCould Aliens Be Using Light to Communicate? A New Era of SETI with Shelley Wright [ep. 483]Pique is offering 20% off for life AND a free Starter Kit with your purchase—that's a rechargeable frother and glass beaker to make the perfect cup every time. Just go to http://piquelife.com/impossiblePlease join my mailing list here 👉 https://briankeating.com/list to win a meteorite 💥Are We Searching for Aliens the Wrong Way?Historically, SETI has focused primarily on radio waves because they can travel vast distances through interstellar gas and dust with minimal absorption and require less energy to transmit...
2025-03-1750 minSETI LiveSpace is the Case: A Conversation with SETI Artist in Residence Martin WilnerDuring his time as an Artist in Residence (AIR) at the SETI Institute, visual artist, psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst Martin Wilner invited prominent SETI Institute scientists to participate in his ongoing project, The Case Histories. Interested in exploring how scientists relate to the possibility of encountering an alien life form, Wilner invited researchers such as Jill Tarter, Seth Shostak, and Franck Marchis to send him daily messages and share thoughts of interest. These messages, filtered through the prism of psychoanalytical principles, were then transformed into drawings and visualized as daily elements of a calendar. More recently, Wilner has expanded his...
2025-03-1136 minSETI LiveUnistellar + SETI: Citizen Science Q&A (Part 5)Join Dr. Franck Marchis, Chief Science Officer and co-founder at Unistellar and director of Citizen Science at SETI Institute, and Dr. Lauren Sgro, Outreach Manager at the SETI Institute, for a conversation on citizen science with the Unistellar network in partnership with the SETI Institute. We review the 2024 citizen science accomplishments and discuss the 2025 campaigns so far. We will answer your questions about our program from the Unistellar community page and discuss some recent highlights. (Recorded 6 February 2025.)
2025-02-1829 min
Nature and Science PodcastFormer SETI Chairman Thinks Extraterrestrial Probes May Be Watching Us?Send us a textAre we alone in the Universe. Are aliens or extraterrestrial beings already here on earth, or are they watching us from afar with technologically advanced probes? It has been decades since the search for aliens began in earnest with SETI, the Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence. So why haven't we made contact? What is the Fermi paradox and the Drake Equation and what do they tell us about he existence of ET? Why does the former chairman of the board at SETI think extraterrestrial probes may be watching us? We’re going...
2025-02-091h 22SETI LiveWhat to Expect in 2025 in Space ScienceHappy New Year! 2024 brought us a lot of exciting space news, from a total solar eclipse to the launch of Europa Clipper and our celebration of 40 years as the SETI Institute. What does 2025 hold? Join hosts Beth Johnson and Franck Marchis for our first show of the year, taking a look at new ground and space telescopes, planned missions and milestones, as well as the various eclipses. Plus, Saturn's rings will be "disappearing"! (Recorded live 9 January 2025.)
2025-02-0448 min
KQED's ForumForum From the Archives: SETI Scientists on 40 years of Asking the Universe 'Are We Alone?'Are we alone? Really, though, in a cosmic sense. 40 years ago the pioneering radio astronomer Jill Tarter co-founded a Bay Area non profit to support humanity searching for life beyond ourselves. We celebrate the SETI – as in, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence – Institute’s anniversary and all their contributions to science which, sadly, do not yet include finding aliens. What do you hope SETI finds in its next 40 years?Guests:Bill Diamond, president and CEO, SETI InstituteWael Farah, radio astronomer and project scientist on The Allen Telescope Array, SETI InstituteNat...
2024-12-2657 minSETI LiveUnistellar + SETI: Citizen Science Q&A (Part 4)Join Dr. Franck Marchis, Chief Science Officer and co-founder at Unistellar and director of Citizen Science at SETI Institute, and Dr. Lauren Sgro, Outreach Manager at the SETI Institute, for a conversation on citizen science with the Unistellar network in partnership with the SETI Institute. We take the time to answer your questions about our program on the Unistellar community page and discuss some of the recent highlights, including comet observations and exoplanet discoveries. (Recorded 21 November 2024.)
2024-12-0334 minSETI LiveSETI Institute 40th Anniversary Panel: Looking Back to Look AheadNearly 40 years ago, on November 20, 1984, the SETI Institute was incorporated with inaugural officers CEO Thomas Pierson and SETI scientist Jill Tarter. The goal was to provide SETI researchers with a place to grow the search for life beyond Earth. What began with one NASA-funded SETI project and two people has since grown to include over 100 researchers and various scientific areas of study, all seeking to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the universe. As a part of our outreach and education efforts, we grew our presence on the Internet, reaching out to a wide audience...
2024-11-2653 minSETI LiveHow to Kill an Asteroid with Dr. Robin George AndrewsOSIRIS-REx and the Hayabusa spacecraft have sample asteroids to understand what they're made of. NASA sent the DART mission to change the orbit of a tiny asteroid orbiting another asteroid. ESA sent Hera as a follow-up mission to see what the impactor did. All of these missions have been done in the name of planetary defense -- protecting Earth from the worst of the rocks in space. While none of the asteroids so far discovered are a threat to our planet in the next century, there are still more out there that are small enough to do major damage...
2024-11-1942 min
KQED's ForumSETI Scientists on 40 years of Asking the Universe 'Are We Alone?'Are we alone? Really, though, in a cosmic sense. 40 years ago the pioneering radio astronomer Jill Tarter co-founded a Bay Area non profit to support humanity searching for life beyond ourselves. We celebrate the SETI – as in, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence – Institute’s anniversary and all their contributions to science which, sadly, do not yet include finding aliens. What do you hope SETI finds in its next 40 years?Guests:Bill Diamond, president and CEO, SETI InstituteWael Farah, radio astronomer and project scientist on The Allen Telescope Array, SETI InstituteNathalie Cabrol, ...
2024-11-1857 minSETI LiveThe Non Random Arts Collective: Exploring Habitability, Space Exploration, and Gene EditingSuppose global warming raised temperatures so drastically that crops failed and caused world hunger. Would you support the idea of gene editing humans' skin cells so that photosynthesis would become an alternative source of human nutrition? The Non Random Arts Collective, part of the SETI Institute's Artist in Residence (AIR) program, explores fascinating scenarios connecting climate change, habitability, and gene editing. SETI AIR Director Bettina Forget chats with the collective about their GAIA workshop series, which they led at the SETI Institute this summer, where they invited scientists and artists to engage with the intricacies of climate adaptation, space...
2024-10-2233 minSETI LiveNaked Eye Comets? October May Yield a BountyComets are small objects in our solar system made of ice and dust. As they get closer to the Sun in their orbits, the ices turn into gas and give off a glow that can be seen in telescopes. With luck, that glow brightens to the point where a comet can be seen with the unaided eye. Some, like Halley's Comet, return on a regular schedule. Others are more one and done, breaking apart as they near the Sun or getting a gravity assist to leave our solar system. And every year, astronomers hope for the "comet of the...
2024-10-0837 minSETI LiveNew Exoplanets Just Dropped! And Citizen Scientists Helped Find ThemExoplanets are planets that orbit stars outside our solar system. We've been finding potential exoplanets more often since the Kepler and TESS spacecraft were launched. But confirming these planets takes time, and telescope time is limited. To speed up the process, amateur astronomers are using their own telescopes. One program, called UNITE (Unistellar Network Investigating TESS Exoplanets), brings together a global group of volunteer and professional astronomers. They use Unistellar telescopes to gather data when exoplanets pass in front of their stars, blocking some of the light. Scientists from the SETI Institute and Unistellar analyze this data. Recently, they...
2024-10-0138 minSETI LiveThe Secret Life of the Universe with Nathalie Cabrol"The Secret Life of the Universe" by Dr. Nathalie Cabrol, the SETI Institute's chief scientist and Director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute, is coming out this week, both in the US (August 13, 2024) and in the UK (August 15, 2024). Scriber/Simon & Schuster publishes both editions. Cabrol articulates an overview of where we stand today in our search for life in the universe, what's coming, and how looking out for life beyond Earth teaches us about our place on our planet. Nathalie joins communications specialist Beth Johnson during this week's SETI Live to celebrate this occasion and discuss...
2024-08-2033 minSETI LiveThe Future of AI & Space Science with CEO Bill DiamondJoin SETI Institute CEO Bill Diamond as he explores NASA's AI-driven mission planning, data analysis, and anomaly detection. Since 2015, the SETI Institute's Frontier Development Lab (FDL) has partnered with NASA, using machine learning (ML) to classify data, predict outcomes, and uncover trends. With FDL's support, ML tools automate tasks, streamline decision-making, save resources, and maximize NASA's science data potential. Guests will be Megan Ansdell, Program Officer in the Planetary Science Division (PSD) and the Astrophysics Division (APD) at NASA Headquarters; Victoria Da Poian, Data Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Eric Lyness, Principal Systems Engineer, NASA Goddard Space Flight...
2024-08-1355 minSETI LiveGliese 12 b: A Promising Earth-to-Venus-Sized ExoplanetWhen scientists found the first exoplanets over 30 years ago, the discovery defied all expectations. In the following decades, with the advent of NASA's Kepler and TESS missions and numerous ground-based observatories, the exoplanet count has risen to nearly 6,000 confirmed worlds and some 7,200 candidates. Press releases on newly confirmed planets tend to be about exciting or strange places, and this week's SETI Live is no exception. Discovered in TESS data, Gliese 12 b is a recently confirmed exoplanet the size of Earth or Venus, orbiting a red dwarf star every thirteen days and "only" about 40 light-years away from our solar system...
2024-07-1628 minSETI LiveExploring Hydrothermal Vents: Earth's Deep Ocean as a Model for Alien WorldsThe INVADER project researches ways to improve life detection in ocean worlds by studying alien worlds in Earth's deep ocean. We seek to understand how we can detect life in the deep ocean here on Earth with flight-ready instruments (e.g., can go on a space flight mission). The deep ocean is a testing ground to help us validate what data collected by these instruments could tell us about life if we deployed them to the seafloor of an ocean world. To this end, in 2021, Laura Rodriguez (LPI) and Pablo Sobron (SETI Institute) traveled to Axial Seamount in the...
2024-06-0434 minSETI LiveCelebrating Andrew Siemion, Drake Award Recipient 2024 for SETI Leadership and ContributionsThe SETI Institute is pleased to announce that Dr. Andrew Siemion will be honored with the prestigious 2024 Drake Award for his exceptional and pioneering contributions to SETI and radio astronomy and his leadership in the field. Siemion's distinguished career includes his role as the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI at the SETI Institute, Principal Investigator for the Breakthrough Listen Initiative at the University of Oxford, along with holding an Honorary Professorship at the University of Manchester, an Adjunct Appointment at the University of Malta, and directing the Berkeley SETI Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley. His...
2024-05-2829 minSETI LiveT Coronae Borealis: The Nova of a Lifetime (ft. Unistellar)T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB, is a well-studied nova system in the constellation Corona Borealis. In fact, T CrB produces a recurring nova — one of only five known in our galaxy — that erupts approximately every 80 years, making this a once-in-a-lifetime event. Astronomers predict that the star will explode again within the coming year, likely before this September. When it does erupt, the rather dim T CrB could become as bright as our North Star. Observers with the SETI/Unistellar Network have been watching this star system since last summer and now monitor it daily through the Cosmic Cataclysms citi...
2024-05-2132 minSETI LiveGiant Volcano Discovered on Mars ft. Pascal LeeA deeply eroded giant volcano, active from ancient through recent times and with possible remnants of glacier ice near its base, had been hiding near Mars' equator in plain sight. Its discovery points to an exciting new place to search for life, and a potential destination for future robotic and human exploration. "We were examining the geology of an area where we had found the remains of a glacier last year when we realized we were inside a huge and deeply eroded volcano," said Dr. Pascal Lee, planetary scientist with the SETI Institute and the Mars Institute...
2024-04-301h 08SETI LiveEarth as an Exoplanet: Using Remote Sensing Data to Find Habitable WorldsA potential future space mission known as the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets (LIFE) could study terrestrial worlds in their stars' habitable zones (where water can be liquid) using spectral emissions in the mid-infrared. With only one known example of a world with life - Earth - scientists recently examined whether or not such a mission could determine if a planet was habitable. Published in The Astrophysical Journal, the results of a recent study concluded that yes, LIFE could find "signatures of crucial atmospheric species and [detect] the planet's temperate climate as well as surface conditions allowing for liquid water."
2024-04-2328 minSETI LiveSETI Artist In Residence Program: Xin Liu's Inward ExpeditionsNimbly combining the tools of art and science, SETI Institute Artist in Residence Xin Liu expresses what it means to be human through a diverse body of work that includes frost-coated sculptures, a bubbling fountain of crude oil, and a performance in outer space. In a new body of sculptures exhibited at Pioneer Works in New York City, the artist considers her fears around having her eggs frozen, creating warped, skeletal, frost-covered sculptures that propose a human body transformed through a cryogenic process. Through art, Liu centers the human experience in the face of technologies and developments motivated by...
2024-03-2649 minSETI LiveOn the Trail of Fireballs: Tracking Meteors and Finding MeteoritesOnly eight times in history have scientists found an asteroid, tracked its trajectory toward Earth, and caught the resulting fireball on cameras. The latest of these eight events happened in January 2024, with the discovery of asteroid 2024 BX1, a mere three hours before impacting the atmosphere over Europe. And of course, the SETI Institute's own Dr. Peter Jenniskens was hot on the trail, flying to Germany to help search for meteorite fragments. Within the week, several pieces were discovered, and early analysis found that they belong to a rare group of meteorites called "aubrites". Join communications specialist Beth...
2024-03-1954 minSETI LiveA Celestial Collaboration: Unistellar Citizen Scientists Track CometsThroughout human history, comets have fascinated us. They have gone from signs and portents of bad things to come to well-studied and even visited "dirty snowballs". Every year, observers search the skies, hoping to discover the Next Big Comet - Halley, Hyakutake, Hale–Bopp, McNaught. From SOHO and LINEAR to ATLAS and IRAS, numerous observatories have continued to add to the count of discovered comets. But it doesn't require expensive hardware or spacecraft to make similar observations from your own backyard; telescopes and even binoculars will work - at least for the brightest objects. For members of Unistellar's Citizen Sc...
2024-03-1235 minSETI LiveFrom Earth to Mars: The Incredible Story of the Ingenuity HelicopterWith a first flight on April 19, 2021, NASA's Ingenuity helicopter broke ground on new capabilities for remote planetary missions. For nearly three years, the little drone far exceeded the originally planned technology demonstration of up to five flights, taking off and landing 72 times! Sadly, damage to the rotor blades has now left Ginny grounded, but the spacecraft has paved the way for future aerial explorers at Mars and, potentially, other space destinations. Join senior astronomer and Director of Unistellar Citizen Science Franck Marchis in this exciting SETI Live with Ingenuity Team Lead Teddy Tzanetos, as they look back...
2024-02-2730 minSETI LiveThe Mysterious Ocean of Saturn's Moon, MimasJoin us for an exciting SETI Live where we'll explore the wonders beyond Earth. We're excited to have Valery Lainey, a renowned researcher from the Paris Observatory in France, as our guest. Franck Marchis, our Senior Astronomer, will be guiding the conversation, sharing insights from the universe. It's set to be an engaging event, and we hope you'll be part of it! In a groundbreaking study published in Nature Journal, Valery Lainey and his team have unveiled a remarkable discovery about Saturn's moon Mimas. Once thought to be a cold, solid body of ice and rock, Mimas...
2024-02-2030 minSETI LiveThe COSMIC Project at the Karl G. Jansky Very Large ArrayIn a groundbreaking cosmic quest, the SETI Institute's Commensal Open-Source Multimode Interferometer Cluster (COSMIC) at the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is expanding the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). This cutting-edge technology is not a distinct telescope; it's a detector. COSMIC searches for extraterrestrial signals and paves the way for future science using a copy of the raw data from the telescope's observations. At the heart of COSMIC's mission is pursuing the age-old question: Are we alone in the universe? Project scientist Dr. Chenoa Tremblay and the team detailed the project in a paper published in The...
2024-02-1325 minSETI Live"A City on Mars" with Kelly and Zach WeinersmithCritically acclaimed, bestselling authors Kelly and Zach Weinersmith (Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal) set out to write the essential guide to a glorious future of space settlements, but after years of research, they aren't so sure it's a good idea. Space technologies and space business are progressing fast, but we lack the knowledge needed to have space kids, build space farms, and create space nations in a way that doesn't spark conflict back home. In a world hurtling toward human expansion into space, A City on Mars investigates whether the dream of new worlds won't create nightmares, both for settlers...
2024-01-3032 minSETI LiveUnveiling the Future of Amateur Astronomy: Unistellar's ODYSSEY TelescopeJoin us for an exclusive SETI Live event, as we take a first look at the next-generation telescope from Unistellar - the ODYSSEY. First introduced in 2017 with their eVscope, Unistellar has been a prominent collaborator with the SETI Institute since 2019. eVscopes have been used by schools, colleges, and the public to observe exoplanets, supernovae, and asteroids in a truly global network that continues to grow. Simon Steel, Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Center, and Franck Marchis, Co-founder of Unistellar and citizen science director at the SETI Institute, will talk about the technology of the...
2024-01-1837 minSETI LiveWhat to Expect in 2024 in SpaceThe new year has begun, and it's time for your favorite hosts - Franck Marchis and Beth Johnson - to run down some of the space science to look forward to in 2024. We will talk about launches, missions, celestial events (including a certain solar eclipse), and even SETI Institute's 40th anniversary. So come watch live and bring your questions!
2024-01-0944 minSETI LiveTracking Santa - Around the World in a NightFor our last SETI Live of 2023, senior astronomer Seth Shostak and communications specialist Beth Johnson have fun chatting about the "science" behind Santa's overnight journey. How can he deliver presents so quickly? How do the reindeer fly? And just how did NORAD's Santa Tracker come about? Join the holiday shenanigans and watch live! (Recorded 21 December 2023.)
2024-01-0825 minSETI LiveDrifting Signals: New Boundaries for Radio TechnosignaturesIn a new study published in the Astronomical Journal, researchers used the known population of exoplanets to set better thresholds for planetary effects on signals from ETIs (extraterrestrial intelligences). Megan Grace Li, a Ph.D. student at UCLA in UCLA SETI, conducted this research as a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates intern in the Breakthrough Listen project at the Berkeley SETI Research Center. Join Megan as she chats with Beth Johnson about her work and what it means for the future of SETI searches. (Recorded 30 November 2023.)
2024-01-0724 minSETI LiveWomen With Impact, a conversation with SETI AIR Director Bettina ForgetLook at a Moon atlas, and you'll see a land populated with the names of philosophers, mathematicians, and astronomers. Great men like Plato, Aristarchus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, and Planck have been immortalized by naming Moon craters after them, cementing their names in the firmament. But – what about the women? Out of the 1,578 cataloged and named craters on the lunar surface, 32 are named after women – that is barely 2%. SETI Artist in Residence Program Director Bettina Forget found this percentage to be "disappointingly low", so she decided to highlight the issue through her artwork. After researching the locations of the...
2023-12-1234 minSETI LiveEvidence of (16) Psyche's Metallic Nature Found with SOFIALed by Anicia Arredondo, researchers used the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to investigate the metallic nature of the asteroid Psyche, believed to be rich in metals. SOFIA observed the entire surface of Psyche, using mid-infrared instruments to analyze its emissivity and porosity. The results confirmed that Psyche is a metallic body with some differences between the northern and southern poles. This study paves the way for NASA's mission to Psyche, launching in October 2023, promising insights into planetary cores and planet formation. Psyche's size and potential for differentiation make it a significant subject for understanding Earth-like planets. Join...
2023-12-0529 minSETI LiveAtmospheric Results from JWST: Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and More?Exoplanet discoveries have been piling up faster and faster over the last decade, limiting announcements of new discoveries to the strange, unusual, and unexpected. One unexpected type of planet is the possible Hycean world -- hot, water-covered worlds with hydrogen atmospheres larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune with sizable habitable zones. With the addition of JWST's capabilities, previously discovered exoplanets are now being analyzed for their atmospheric composition, and the results are intriguing. In a new paper accepted for The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the atmosphere of an exoplanet known as K2-18 b was found to contain carbon...
2023-11-0737 minSETI LiveThe Library of the Great Silence: A conversation with Jonathon KeatsWe follow up with SETI Artist in Residence Jonathon Keats about his project The Library of the Great Silence, an installation art project that addresses one of the implications of the Fermi Paradox. If the cosmos is only sparsely populated by intelligent beings that implies that at some point in their development almost all technological societies encounter a barrier they cannot cross. To counter such a dystopian prospect, Keats proposes an intergalactic lending library to research planetary futures. Branches of this library have already been installed at the Allen Telescope Array and at museums and universities around the world...
2023-10-2436 minSETI LiveCosmic Enigma: The Slow-Spinning Star MysteryAn enigmatic cosmic entity has been consistently beaming radio waves to Earth every 22 minutes for over three decades, perplexing the scientific community. Identified as GPM J1839−10, this celestial body is believed to be a fading star emitting energy from its poles. Yet, intriguingly, its spin is so leisurely it seems implausible for its existence, marking it both incredibly stable and unusually slow. We're thrilled to have Natasha Hurley-Walker, the leading radio astronomer from Curtin University in Australia, who spearheaded the research in conversation with the SETI astronomer and Chief Scientific Officer at Unistellar, Franck Marchis. Together, they'll delve into th...
2023-10-0329 minSETI LiveXenopocene: The First 10,000 Days After First Contact, a conversation with DaedelusSETI Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Daedelus imagines the first 10,000 days after first contact with an alien civilization and puts those imaginings to music. Daedelus calls this post-detection era the 'Xenopocene', which also serves as the title of their newly released album. In this conversation with SETI AIR Director Bettina Forget, discover Daedelus' creative process and what inspired them during their two-year residency with the AIR program, plus listen in on this fascinating album that weaves influences of Gustav Holst, Sun Ra, Alice Deejay, and Amon Tobin. Recorded live 17 August 2023. Listen to Xenopocene: https://daedelusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/xenopocene
2023-09-2633 minSETI LiveMoon and Mars on Earth: Preparing for Space Exploration in the ArcticTune in to this week's SETI Live broadcast, beamed directly from Devon Island in the High Arctic. This exceptional locale serves as a remarkable analog, mirroring key environmental features of both the Moon and Mars to help prepare for their exploration. Dr. Pascal Lee and his team have embarked on their annual expedition to study the local geology and microbiology, and their relevance to the Moon and Mars. Beyond their scientific mission, they're putting spacesuits, drills, and cutting-edge technologies through rigorous trials, all destined for potential deployment in the human quest to explore the Moon and Mars. ...
2023-09-1948 minSETI LiveFrontier Development LabFrontier Development Lab (FDL) is an applied artificial intelligence (AI) research accelerator fostering collaboration among researchers, scientists, and engineers across diverse fields. FDL aims to address paramount challenges in space and Earth science through cutting-edge AI and Machine Learning applications. FDL is a collaborative effort of the SETI Institute, NASA, the Department of Energy (DoE), and prominent private sector partners. Discover the immense potential of AI for space exploration, Earth sciences, and humanity as SETI Institute CEO, Bill Diamond, engages in a compelling conversation with Jason Talley from the DoE's Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office. Together, they...
2023-09-1237 minSETI LiveCitizen Science and SN 2023ixfIn an unprecedented achievement, citizen scientists have set a new record for the SETI Institute and Unistellar, comprising the highest number of observers providing data on a single event. Amateur astronomers participating in the SETI Institute's and Unistellar's Cosmic Cataclysms program conducted a groundbreaking observation of supernova (SN) 2023ixf. The observations, which began just one hour after the supernova's first known appearance, have generated the longest continuous light curve of this supernova gathered by citizen scientists that has been published to date. Join Simon Steel, Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Center for Research, as he discusses...
2023-09-0533 minSETI LiveIntroducing FIRST: A Game-Changer in Telescope Technology!We will present the first on-sky demonstration of the Fibered Imager foR a Single Telescope (FIRST) instrument at the Subaru Telescope. Using techniques of aperture masking and spatial filtering, FIRST combines the power of spectro-interferometry to deliver high contrast capabilities and spatial resolutions beyond the reach of traditional coronagraphic instruments. We will explain the 'pupil remapping' technique - the heart of the FIRST instrument - and its practical applications. This process divides the telescope pupil into sub-pupils, enabling simultaneous measurements of all baseline fringe patterns. Our researchers tested this instrument on two types of targets: a point...
2023-08-2932 minSETI LiveSearching for ET at the Heart of the Milky WayIf an alien civilization wanted to communicate with other civilizations throughout the Milky Way, the galaxy's core holds potential as a strategic site for a beacon. Until now, radio SETI has primarily dedicated its efforts to the search for continuous signals. A new study sheds light on the remarkable energy efficiency of a train of pulses as a means of interstellar communication across vast distances. This marks the first-ever comprehensive endeavor to conduct in-depth searches for these signals. Join us in discussion with Dr. Vishal Gajjar, a SETI Institute astronomer working at the Allen Telescope Array. Paper...
2023-08-2228 minSETI LiveXenology, Alienness, and Trans Futures: A conversation with Adriana KnoufMeet Adriana Knouf, our newest artist in residence! Adriana engages with topics such as wet media, space art, satellites, radio transmission, non-human encounters, queer and trans futurities, and machine learning. Join SETI AIR Director Bettina Forget and Adriana as they talk about her project TX-1, which has flown on the International Space Station, TX-2, an experiment in speculative satellite construction, and how space travel can be made more accessible to those marked as transgender. Recorded live 6 July 2023.
2023-08-1532 minSETI LivePulsars Reveal Cosmic HumGravitational waves play a cosmic symphony as they pass through our galaxy. This week, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) Physics Frontiers Center released the results of 15 years of data in a set of papers published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. This research is the first evidence of gravitational waves at very low frequencies. The team, comprised of 190 scientists, transformed our region of the Milky Way Galaxy into an immense gravitational-wave antenna using pulsars. NANOGrav's endeavor involved collecting data from 68 pulsars, fashioning a pulsar timing array—a distinctive type of detector. In 2020, wi...
2023-08-0838 minSETI LiveBuilding Block for Life Found: Phosphates Discovered in Enceladus' PlumesThe search for life beyond Earth received a slight boost from new research published in Nature this month. Scientists working with data collected by NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn discovered evidence of phosphates in ice particles ejected via cryovolcanism into the E-ring structure by the tiny moon Enceladus. Although a mere 500 kilometers in diameter, Enceladus is a huge target in the quest for astrobiology in our solar system as beneath the outer ice shell lies a subsurface ocean about 10 km deep. That ocean is warmed via tidal heating, and plumes of water vapor escape through cracks in the surface.
2023-08-0130 minSETI LivePlanetary Protection, Mars and the Search for LifeDr. Nathalie Cabrol, Director of the SETI Institute's Carl Sagan Center, joins us live from the Global Exploration Summit in Portugal. Last week Cabrol was co-author on a comment published in Nature Astronomy that explored the implications and potential scientific impacts on increased activity on Mars, specifically, human-crewed missions. How will the presence of people on Mars affect the search for past or present life and what planetary protection measures will be required to protect the integrity of scientific research as well as life here on Earth when crews return? Hosted by Dr. Simon Steel, Deputy Director of the...
2023-07-2536 minSETI LiveWater in a Rare Main-Belt Comet? JWST Unveils Solar System MysteryNASA's JWST revealed a groundbreaking discovery about the true nature of main belt comets. The surprising presence of water in a main belt comet is challenging our understanding of the solar system's origins. The recent study of this enigmatic comet ignited intriguing questions about its composition, history, and potential interstellar origins. Join Mike Kelley, an astronomer from the University of Maryland, and Dr. Franck Marchis, a senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, for our next SETI Live. Mike and Franck will discuss the significance of this discovery and the implications for astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial...
2023-07-1832 minSETI LiveInVADER Mission Conducts Deep-Sea TestA team of scientists and engineers from the SETI Institute, Impossible Sensing, NASA JPL, and other institutions will test their innovative robotic laser system on a deep-sea expedition aboard the E/V Nautilus. The mission, called InVADER (In-situ Vent Analysis Divebot for Exobiology Research), aims to advance technologies to explore, characterize and sample the seabed here on Earth. In particular, InVADER's Laser Divebot will find marine minerals and catalog biodiversity in the seabed faster and more affordably than ever. Join communications specialist Beth Johnson as she chats with SETI Institute research scientist and project lead Pablo Sobron...
2023-07-1229 minSETI LiveTotal Eclipse Down UnderThere was a total solar eclipse in Australia on Thursday, April 20 (which was Wednesday, April 19 here in California). Join SETI Institute CEO Bill Diamond with Madhulika (Lika) Guhathkurta, PhD Senior Advisor for New Initiatives, GSFC/HPD Program Scientist/Heliophysics, NASA HQ. Lika is in Australia for the eclipse and will talk to us about what we can learn from this phenomenon and why eclipses are so special. Recorded 18 April 2023.
2023-07-0340 minSETI LiveExotopia: An AI-generated Adventure to Study Alien LifeAuthor and book designer Rebecca Demarest will be featured on this episode of SETI Live, along with astronomer and SETI Research Scientist Paul Dalba. The two will delve into the upcoming Exotopia expedition, an experimental sci-fi narrative that invites participants to embark on imaginary journeys to study extraterrestrial life on actual exoplanets within our galaxy. The forthcoming voyage will transport us to TOI-1452 b, a super-Earth exoplanet situated roughly 100 lightyears from Earth. TOI-1452 b orbits a red dwarf star within its Habitable Zone, an area where there is a possibility of liquid water on the planet's surface...
2023-06-1331 minSETI LiveAI + ET: Will Machine Learning Help Find Extraterrestrial Life?When pondering the probability of discovering technologically advanced extraterrestrial life, the question that often arises is, "if they're out there, why haven't we found them yet?" And often, the response is that we have only searched a tiny portion of the galaxy. Further, algorithms developed decades ago for the earliest digital computers can be outdated and inefficient when applied to modern petabyte-scale datasets. Now, research published in Nature Astronomy and led by an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, Peter Ma, along with researchers from the SETI Institute, Breakthrough Listen and scientific research institutions around the world, has...
2023-06-0638 minSETI LiveNASA's DART Mission Successfully Alters Trajectory of Dimorphos MoonThe NASA DART mission impacted Dimorphos, the moon of near-Earth asteroid Didymos, on September 26, 2022, reducing its orbit by 33 minutes. Citizen astronomers around the world contributed crucial observations to quantify the impact's effects and understand our ability to alter an asteroid's path for planetary defense. Learn more from SETI Postdoctoral Fellow Ariel Graykowski on the implications for the future of planetary defense. Nature paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05852-9
2023-05-2330 minSETI LiveC/2022 E3 (ZTF) - A Rare Comet Visits EarthA new comet, C/2022 E3 (ZTF), is making a rare visit to Earth, coming closer than it has in over 50,000 years. Stargazers around the world have admired its eerie green glow and bright tail of dust. Join SETI Institute Senior Planetary Astronomer, Dr. Franck Marchis, and Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Ariel Graykowski, as they discuss the significance of this comet and its impact on the search for life in space. Learn about comets and the night sky in this once-in-a-lifetime event. Recorded live on 2 February 2023.
2023-05-0231 minSETI LiveThe Earthling Project - Songs for Outer SpaceSETI Institute's Artist-in-Residence, Felipe Pérez Santiago, discusses the ambitious Earthling Project. Launched in 2020, the project collects songs from people around the world to create musical compositions representing humanity. These compositions will be sent into space with the help of the Arch Mission Foundation, a nonprofit preserving human knowledge for future generations. Tune in to hear from Santiago and SETI AIR Director Bettina Forget, and listen to the world sing in harmony on the Earthling Project - Songs for Outer Space. Recorded live on stream 26 January 2023.
2023-04-2531 minSETI LiveWatery ExoplanetsUsing data from NASA's Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes, researchers at the University of Montreal found evidence that two exoplanets orbiting a star 218 light-years away are "water worlds," where water makes up a large fraction of the entire planet. These planets are unlike planets in our solar system -- they were previously believed to be rocky Earth-like planets but instead are really water worlds. Listen to Franck Marchis in conversation with lead researcher Caroline Piaulet to learn about these new findings. Press release: https://exoplanetes.umontreal.ca/en/universite-de-montreal-astronomers-find-that-two-exoplanets-may-be-mostly-water/ This episode was recorded...
2023-04-1829 min
SETI LiveWhat's Coming in 2023We have to admit that 2022 was an impressive year for space science, what with JWST starting to collect science data and even releasing early results, the launch and return of the Artemis 1 mission, the DART mission, a NASA Juno flyby of Europa, and the end of the NASA InSight lander mission. And that was just NASA's part of the activity! China, Japan, and South Korea all launched missions, while commercial launches and space tourism continued to increase. 2023 is definitely shaping up to match. There are more potential mission launches for NASA, ESA, China, India, and Japan; a...
2023-02-2850 min
True Stories & ScienceEmbark on a Quest for Alien Life with SETI Institute's Seth Shostak - Senior Astronomer and Alien Hunter!Life in the Universe is available now!
https://amzn.to/3yvcR3X
Seth Shostak is an accomplished astronomer and science communicator who has made significant contributions to the field of search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). As the Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, Shostak has been actively involved in SETI research for more than three decades. He has played a leading role in numerous SETI projects, including the development of new technologies and techniques for searching for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations.
In addition to his research, Shostak is also a prolific science communicator...
2023-01-0132 minTrue Stories & ScienceWhy haven't aliens contacted Earth? - SETI Senior Astronomer Seth ShostakSeth Shostak is a renowned astronomer and science communicator who is best known for his work on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). As the Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, a non-profit research organization based in Mountain View, California, Shostak has been at the forefront of SETI research for over three decades.
Throughout his career, Shostak has played a leading role in numerous SETI projects, including the development of new technologies and techniques for searching for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. In addition to his research, Shostak is also a well-known science communicator, and he has written...
2022-12-2333 min
3PNR#20 Seth Shostak SETI#20 Seth Shostak Senior Astronomer at SETI Institute, Since 2001, he has been the senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to "explore, understand and explain the origin, nature, and prevalence of life in the universe". SETI Institute, located in Mountain View, California.Shostak was the 2004 winner of the Klumpke-Roberts Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the public understanding and appreciation of astronomy.In January 2010 he was elected as a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI),[14] and in October 2019 was a...
2021-10-1346 min
Back in AmericaSETI – Dr. Seth Shostak – Searching for E.T.
Back in America is a podcast exploring America’s culture, values, and identity. This conversation was recorded live on September 17. You can watch the unedited version on our Youtube channel.
Listen to this episode to learn more about the release of the Pentagon report on UFOs to Congress. The importance of cosmos exploration. The chances of finding extraterrestrial life in our lifetime.
After taking a long summer break during which my intern Josh Wagner took over Back in America with his excellent series Poetism I am happy to be back behind the mic.
My...
2021-09-1835 min
Aliens Archives - Astronomy CastEp. 612: Update: SETI, METI (and WETI)
Last week we talked about the various ways that astronomers could detect the presence of intelligent civilizations by observing technosignatures. This week we’ll give you an update on the state of searching for extraterrestrials. This field has gone from a collection of pariahs to a completely legitimate field of research. What’s changed?
Show Notes | Transcript
Show Notes
Starstryder (Twitter)
CosmoQuest Newsletter Signup
PODCAST: Ep. 611: What is Required to Confirm Alien Life: Intelligence Edition (Astronomy Cast)
PODCAST: Ep. 23: Counting Aliens With the Drake Equation (Astronomy Cast)
2021-07-0530 min
Indian GenesJill Tarter - SETIS2/EP3 - Jill Cornell Tarter is an American astronomer best known for her work on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).Tarter's astronomical work is illustrated in Carl Sagan's novel Contact. In the film version of Contact, the protagonist Ellie Arroway is played by Jodie Foster. Tarter conversed with the actress for months before and during filming, and Arroway was "largely based" on Tarter's work. She has also been featured in John Boswell's Symphony of Science music video, "The Poetry of Reality (An Anthem for Science)Tarter is the former director of the Center for SETI Re...
2021-03-071h 06
Paranormal Underground RadioThe Next Truth (from Paranormal Underground Radio): Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute and the Director of the Institute’s Center for SETI Research
Episode Date: 11.7.20
Host: Maria Anna van Driel
Guest: Dr. Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute
Show Notes:
This week, The Next Truth’s Maria Anna van Driel speaks with Dr. Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, and the director of the Institute’s Center for SETI Research about the secrets that exist in our Universe and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Seth has an undergraduate degree in physics from Princeton University and a doctorate in astrono...
2020-11-0742 min
2019-10-1015 min
The Jim Rutt ShowEP14 Astrophysicist Jill Tarter on SETI and TechnosignaturesJill Tarter received her Bachelor of Engineering Physics Degree with Distinction from Cornell University and her Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of California, Berkeley. She served as Project Scientist for NASA’s SETI program, the High Resolution Microwave Survey, and has conducted numerous observational programs at radio observatories worldwide.
Since the termination of funding for NASA’s SETI program in 1993, she has served in a leadership role to secure private funding to continue the exploratory science. Currently, she serves on the management board for the Allen Telescope Array, an innovative array of 350 (when fully...
2019-09-231h 052019-03-2115 min2019-03-1906 min2019-03-0915 min2019-03-0203 min2019-02-1610 min2019-02-1608 min2019-02-0515 min2018-04-0209 min
Explorers Institute - Let's Explore!Bill Diamond, CEO, The SETI Institute
A visit with friend Bill Diamond, CEO of the SETI Institute. I’ll bet you don’t know as much about the SETI Institute as you think. What does SETI mean? "Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence." But there is more to SETI than what you see in movies such as "Contact."
There are 75 scientists (the number is growing) at SETI currently working on planetary science, biology, chemistry, geology, astronomy, and more. Yes, they operate The Allen Telescope Array for doing radio astronomy research, but they are also a world leader in astrobiology--one of the hottest fields of science today...
2016-07-2100 min
Bad at SportsBad at Sports Episodes 543: SETI
Brian and Patricia play Mulder and Scully this week as they sit down with the masterminds behind the SETI Institute artists-in-residence program. For those B@S faithful listeners unfamiliar with the Institute (An oxymoron, if there ever was one ) SETI stands for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Yes, friends, we're talking space aliens.
As part of the Institute's goal "to explore, understand, and explain the origin and nature of life in the universe, and to apply the knowledge gained to inspire and guide present and future generations," they now host a residency program for artists based out of their Mountain View...
2016-03-1856 min
Big Picture ScienceSETI: Now What?Hello! Is anyone out there? As the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence marks its 50th anniversary, there’s been no contact as yet with alien beings. But SETI researchers maintain that we are not alone. Find out why in a SETI retrospective that looks at the past and future of the search.We remember the first scientific SETI search… Carl Sagan... how the SETI Institute began… the WOW signal…and the 1993 NASA budget cuts.We’ll also hear from critics of the search… scientists involved in optical SETI and SETI@home. Plus, international collaborations… and where the sear...
2010-03-2953 min