StarTalk Radio Are We Alone? with Jill Tarter
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Aug 19, 2025 Join Jill Tarter, one of the founders of the SETI Institute and a pioneer in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, as she chats with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Matt Kirshen. They dive into the fascinating search for alien life, discussing technosignatures and the implications of The Drake Equation. Tarter shares insights on the challenges of current technology, the ethics of first contact, and even the humorous idea of extraterrestrial gourmet tastes. It's a captivating journey into our universe and the possibilities that lie beyond!
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How Programming Led To SETI
- Jill Tarter learned low-level programming on an early desktop computer and used that skill to join an X-ray astronomy project at Berkeley.
- That programming ability led her into the search for extraterrestrial intelligence almost by accident.
Develop A Unique, Useful Skill
- Find a practical skill you enjoy and become the best at it to open career opportunities.
- Jill Tarter recommends developing a unique toolset so people will seek you out for collaborations.
Technosignatures And The AI Advantage
- SETI searches target technosignatures: modifications of the environment that nature can't produce, given our 21st-century instruments.
- Jill emphasizes AI will soon combine disparate data sets to reveal correlations humans might miss.
