Sara Seager is a planetary scientist at MIT, known for her work on the search for exoplanets. Support this podcast by supporting our sponsors. Click links, get discount: – Public Goods at https://publicgoods.com/lex and use code LEX – PowerDot: https://powerdot.com/lex and use code LEX – Cash App – use code “LexPodcast” and download: – Cash App (App Store): https://apple.co/2sPrUHe – Cash App (Google Play): https://bit.ly/2MlvP5w Episode links: Sara’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/profsaraseager Sara’s Website: https://www.saraseager.com/ The Smallest Lights in the Universe (book): https://amzn.to/3g3LfHA If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/ai or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate it 5 stars on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, or support it on Patreon. Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. OUTLINE: 00:00 – Introduction 05:32 – Falling in love with the stars 09:55 – Are we alone in the universe? 15:27 – Seager equation for number of habitable planets 27:48 – Exoplanets 34:44 – Earth-like exoplanets 40:43 – Intelligent life 52:34 – Number of planets per star 55:09 – Space exploration 57:36 – Traveling to Proxima Centauri 1:00:52 – Starshade 1:07:34 – Using the sun as a gravitational lens 1:09:44 – Starshot 1:12:45 – Rogue planets 1:15:44 – The Smallest Lights in the Universe 1:30:15 – Book recommendations 1:37:48 – Advice for a young person 1:39:29 – Meaning of life

Astrophysicist Sara Seager discusses pushing boundaries in discovering exoplanets through collaboration and innovation. She reflects on vulnerability, mentorship, and the importance of failure in driving success. The podcast explores her work on potentially habitable planets, overcoming challenges in teamwork, and the upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope.

David Charbonneau, an astrophysicist from Harvard, and Sara Seager from MIT, discuss their groundbreaking work on exoplanets, for which they received the 2024 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics. They explore the incredible diversity of exoplanets, including hot Jupiters and mini-Neptunes, and dive into innovative methods for studying their atmospheres. The conversation highlights the search for biosignatures of life on distant worlds and the future of exoplanet discovery, underscoring the excitement in this rapidly evolving field.