“The two biggest tasks on the agenda of the human species are extending the longevity of our civilization and exploring the universe.” ~ Avi Leob

Abraham "Avi" Loeb is a theoretical physicist who works on astrophysics and cosmology. Loeb is the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University. He had been the longest serving chair of Harvard's Department of Astronomy (2011–2020), founding director of Harvard's Black Hole Initiative, and director of the Institute for Theory and Computation within the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

In June 2020, Loeb was sworn in as a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) at the White House. In December 2012, Time magazine selected Loeb as one of the 25 most influential people in space.

In 2018, he attracted media attention for suggesting that alien space craft may be in the Solar System, using the anomalous behavior of ʻOumuamua as an example. In 2019, and together with his Harvard undergraduate student, Amir Siraj, Loeb reported discovering a meteor that potentially originated outside the Solar System.

Join us as we discuss:

- The origins of life

- Our potential Martian

- Consciousness

- Aliens

- The Galileo Project

- The expansion of the Universe & more!

EPISODE LINKS:

Book: https://amzn.to/39xdnkT

Avi's Website: https://astronomy.fas.harvard.edu/people/avi-loeb