archive
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Want to Find Aliens? Look For Their Debris
March 5, 2013 It may be far more likely that our first evidence of intelligent life in space will come by detecting their industrial waste. Commentator Adam Frank highlights a study on how we might spot the signs from Earth.
The Two-Way
Will E.T. Hear Us? Reply To 'WOW! Signal' Gets Beamed Into Space Today
August 15, 2012 Thirty-five years ago today an astronomer wrote "Wow!" when he saw evidence of what might have been a message from deep space. One like it hasn't been detected since. Today, National Geographic's Chasing UFOs sends a reply.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
When (Alien) Gods Err
June 13, 2012 Ridley Scott's movie Prometheus makes us wonder about the benefits and risks of trying to artificially create life and intelligence in our labs. Could our creations destroy us?
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Did Life On Earth Originate From Zombie Microbes?
May 29, 2012 The new twist proposed a couple of years ago is that even if the microbes are dead when the rocks crash to earth, the information in their DNA might play a role in triggering or helping life here.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Of Alien Intelligence, The Supernatural And Divinity
May 23, 2012 Can we distinguish between ultra-advanced aliens and gods? Crazy as it may sound, commentator Marcelo Gleiser says this line of reasoning is sound and blurs the boundary between the natural and the supernatural.
The Two-Way
SETI Plans To Resume Listening For Aliens
August 16, 2011 The SETI Institute's mothballed Allen Telescope Array — which scans the universe for signs of alien life — will soon be up and running again, thanks to more than $200,000 in donations that came from people including Jodie Foster and former astronaut Bill Anders.
The Two-Way
Signs Of Life On A Meteorite? Maybe
March 7, 2011 While we would love to write a headline saying that proof has been found that life does (or has) existed somewhere else in the universe, the best advice for now is to wait and see.