Why search for life beyond Earth? For MIT astrophysicist and MacArthur Genius Fellow Sara Seager, it’s not just a scientific question—it’s a deeply human one. Like creating art or studying philosophy, the search taps into our primal curiosity about who we are and whether we’re alone. Sara is a pioneer in the field of exoplanets: planets that orbit stars other than our Sun. Her early work was met with skepticism. Today, she’s one of the most respected voices in the field, with discoveries that have redefined our understanding of the universe. From detecting alien atmospheres to reimagining where life might exist, she shares how entrepreneurial thinking and intuition are fueling groundbreaking discoveries.
In our conversation, we explore:
• An explanation of exoplanets and the importance of their discovery
• The key technologies that enabled exoplanet detection
• Sara’s controversial discovery of phosphine gas in Venus's atmosphere and why it could be a sign of life
• An overview of Project Starshade, why NASA has currently shelved it, and why Sara continues to work on it anyway
• How scientific innovation often requires challenging authority and conventional wisdom
• How Sara approaches her research portfolio like an investment strategy, but with an inverse risk profile
• Why AI may someday explore planets we’ll never reach—and what that means for humanity
• Much more!
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For a full transcript of the episode, please visit: https://www.generalist.com/p/are-we-alone-in-the-universe-sara-seager
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Timestamps
(00:00) Intro
(04:07) What is an exoplanet?
(04:33) The diverse types of exoplanets, including the common Sub-Neptune type
(06:40) Why the search for habitable planets matters
(08:57) The timeline for finding life outside of Earth
(10:15) Parallels between professors and entrepreneurs
(11:37) Sara’s background and inspirations
(15:48) Why the study of exoplanets was initially viewed with skepticism
(18:38) Technology breakthroughs enabling exoplanet discovery
(21:05) Looking for atmospheric signals as signs of life
(25:48) The K2-18b debate and challenges of detecting life
(31:10) The Venus Life Finder Initiative and phosphine discovery
(37:38) The mission to explore Venus's atmosphere
(39:20) Goals of the first missions and the inspiration from a prior Soviet balloon mission
(41:58) An overview of the Starshade project
(47:44) Applications from the Venus mission that may benefit Earth
(48:50) Sara's scientific "investment portfolio" and the impact of the MacArthur grant
(52:46) The power of intuition
(56:09) Formative lessons from Sara’s childhood
(59:04) How Sara uses AI for administrative tasks
(01:00:38) The evolution of AI
(01:01:50) Sara’s speculation on life beyond Earth
(01:03:24) Where Sara's best ideas come from
(01:04:02) Final meditations
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Follow Sara Seager
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-seager-1352b85/
Website: https://www.saraseager.com/
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Resources and episode mentions
—Books—
• The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir: https://www.amazon.com/Smallest-Lights-Universe-Memoir/dp/0525576258
• The Giver: https://www.amazon.com/Giver-Quartet-Lois-Lowry/dp/0544336267
—People—
• John Bahcall: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_N._Bahcall
—Other resources—
• Exoplanets: https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/
• Sub-Neptune: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub-Neptune
• NASA’s Asteroid Bennu Sample Reveals Mix of Life’s Ingredients: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-asteroid-bennu-sample-reveals-mix-of-lifes-ingredients/
• Seager Hair Transplant Centre: https://www.seagerhairtransplant.com/
• Kepler: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/kepler/
...Resources continued at: https://www.generalist.com/p/are-we-alone-in-the-universe-sara-seager
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