When Will We Find Extraterrestrial Life?
with Dr. Seth Shostak of Big Picture Science (NPR)
Are we alone in the universe? The scientific hunt for extraterrestrial intelligence is now into its fifth decade, and we still haven’t uncovered a confirmed “peep” from any cosmic company. Could all this mean that finding biology beyond Earth, even if it exists, is a project for the ages – one that might take centuries or longer?
But new approaches to detecting life suggest that there is good reason to expect a discovery of microbic organisms on other worlds soon, and that we could uncover evidence of sophisticated civilizations – the type of aliens we see in the movies and on TV – within a few decades.
Why this might be more than wishful thinking and what contact would mean are the subjects of this talk on the continuing efforts to establish our place in the universe of living things.
This event will be in the DVT (Digital Visualization Theater) in Jordan Hall of Science. It is open to the public.