New Scientist CultureLab

On the hunt for alien life with Lisa Kaltenegger


Listen Later

If (or maybe when) we find alien life in the universe, will it look like us? As telescopes become bigger, our ability to peer into the cosmos is only getting better. So the question may not be “will we find something?” but rather “what exactly should we be looking for?”

Lisa Kaltenegger is an astrophysicist and founding director of Cornell University's Carl Sagan Institute. She even works out of Sagan’s old office and shares the same optimism and enthusiasm he brought to the search for extraterrestrial life. 

Abby Beall speaks to her about her new book Alien Earths: Planet Hunting in the Cosmos, which takes readers on a cosmic adventure to faraway exoplanets with oceans of lava and multiple suns. 

Through the conversation Lisa explains how Earth’s geological history can help inform our search for life, while acknowledging alien life may not look the same as us. She discusses the technology that has allowed us to enter a new epoch of exploration – and what technological advancements are needed to help advance our search for alien life. And she examines the alien worlds that feature in various science fiction worlds, like those in Star Wars and Avatar, and whether they could actually exist somewhere in the universe.

To read about subjects like this and much more, visit newscientist.com.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

New Scientist CultureLabBy New Scientist

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

6 ratings


More shows like New Scientist CultureLab

View all
The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,065 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

398 Listeners

10% Happier with Dan Harris by 10% Happier

10% Happier with Dan Harris

12,573 Listeners

New Scientist Podcasts by New Scientist

New Scientist Podcasts

106 Listeners

New Scientist Escape Pod by New Scientist

New Scientist Escape Pod

1 Listeners

New Scientist Weekly by New Scientist

New Scientist Weekly

6 Listeners

ZOE Science & Nutrition by ZOE

ZOE Science & Nutrition

1,943 Listeners