On this episode of People of Science we are pleased to have Avi Loeb on to discuss the scientific mystery of Oumuamua. Avi is an Astrophysicist who's hypothesis on the first detected interstellar object to pass through our solar system looks at all the facts and leads us to challenge humanities greatest question - "Are we alone in the universe?" A true Sherlock Holmes style mystery challenging our logic when the evidence in front of us points to Oumuamua not having a natural origin. First thought to be a comet, but without any evidence of a tail or gas emitting from it as it passed the sun the change in orbit can't be accounted for. Add up the other details; a large change in reflectivity pointing to a pancake shape (not cigar shaped) and knowledge that we've discovered our own space trash exhibiting the same behavior from the sun's reflectivity - it points to Oumuamua exhibiting a very long and wide shape measuring 1mm or thinner in thickness that was 'pushed' by the Sun as it went by.

Where did this object come from? Is it spacecraft remnants from another civilization? Are there more of them out there? 

Avi kindly breaks down the entire mystery and the resistance this idea is having in the Academic circles. We welcome this thoughtful hypothesis that has the chance to change the entire way we think about life on Earth and is testable in under 10 years. Please enjoy the podcast

Purchase Avi's book "Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth": https://amzn.to/3egBetn

More on Avi Loeb: https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~loeb/

3D Model of Oumuamua (an artists rendering): https://www.eso.org/public/products/models3d/oumuamua/

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