Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

Searching for Alien Earths with Lisa Kaltenegger [Ep. 411]

May 5, 2024

Award-winning astrophysicist Lisa Kaltenegger discusses the search for other Earth-like planets and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Topics include identifying signs of life, implications of discovering alien life, and the future of pedagogy in the field. Tune in for an exciting journey through space!

58:34

Episode guests

Lisa Kaltenegger

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Understanding what conditions are essential for life to exist on other planets is crucial in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Utilizing advanced technology like the James Webb Space Telescope is vital for exploring and characterizing exoplanets for potential signs of alien life.

Analyzing light fingerprints from planets using machine learning and information theory is essential for detecting possible biosignatures on distant worlds.

Deep dives

The Quest for Alien Life Detection Tools

Dr. Lisa Kaltinegger, director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University, leads a team developing innovative tools to detect signs of alien life. Her key question revolves around what conditions are necessary for life to begin elsewhere. By leveraging advanced technology and theoretical advancements, her work propels us closer to understanding the mysteries of habitable planets in the cosmos.

Introduction

2min

Exploring Alien Earth and Beyond

6min

Exploring the Evolution of Earth's Biosphere and the Search for Alien Worlds

4min

Deciphering Exoplanets Through Light Signatures

13min

Exploring Astronomical Events and Life's Evolution on Earth

4min

Life's Uniqueness and Adaptability

10min

Exploring Conservatism in the Search for Alien Life and Stellar Statistics

3min

Exploring Life Beyond Earth and Artificial Intelligence in Data Analysis

17min

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Is Earth unique, or are there other Earth-like planets full of life? If so, what might life be like on these other planets? Could we even detect it? These questions have puzzled people for millennia.

Now, we finally have the technology to explore it. Among the people who have taken up the search for other Earth-like planets and extraterrestrial life is today's guest, Lisa Kaltenegger!

Lisa Kaltenegger is an award-winning astrophysicist and astrobiologist and the founding director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell. She is a pioneer and world-leading expert in modeling habitable worlds and their light footprints. For the last decade, she has been finding new ways to discover life in space, working with NASA and ESA from Austria to the Netherlands, Harvard, Germany, and now Cornell.

Today, she will take us on an exciting journey through space in search of habitable planets and life.

Tune in!

Key Takeaways: