About the episode
Are we alone in the universe? This hour, we’re traveling the cosmos with TED Science Curator David Biello in search of extraterrestrial life, finding out what it may look like and how we’ll know we’ve found it.
About David Biello
David Biello is a science curator at TED.
Previously, Biello was a reporter for Scientific American, where he covered environmental and energy issues. He also wrote a book, “The Unnatural World”, about how humans have changed the Earth’s climate and what can be done to create a better world for humans and other living things. He has written and hosted science documentary series including “Beyond the Light Switch” and “The Ethanol Effect”.
Biello earned his bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and his master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
Featured Speakers
John C. Mather: How the James Webb Space Telescope will unveil the universe
Nobel laureate John C. Mather led the NASA team that built the James Webb Telescope. It explains how the telescope will observe the first galaxies to form in the early universe and uncover new details about the moons of our solar system that may harbor life.
Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle: What Saturn’s Most Mysterious Moon Could Teach Us About the Origins of Life
Planetary scientist Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle explains how studying Saturn’s moon Titan, thought to resemble early Earth, could bring us closer to understanding the habitability of other planets and the origin of life.
Clara Sousa-Silva: The Footprints of Life Beyond Earth
Quantum astrochemist Clara Sousa-Silva demonstrates a possible new way to find habitable planets and shares her research on a toxic molecule that could signal the presence of life beyond Earth.
Karen J. Meech: The Story of ‘Oumuamua, the First Visitor from Another Star System
In 2017, NASA spotted the very first visitor from another star system: a half-mile-long interstellar object that was named `Oumuamua, from the Hawaiian for “messenger”. Astrobiologist Karen J. Meech shares how her team worked to uncover its origins.
Stephen Webb: Where are all the aliens?
The universe is old, gigantic and home to billions of planets – so where are all the aliens? Astronomer Stephen Webb has an explanation: there is none.
Betül Kaçar: We could launch life on another planet. Should we?
Astrobiologist Betül Kaçar’s research uses statistics and mathematical models to simulate ancient environments and study the origins of life. She asks us to think: if we could revive life in the universe, should we?
This episode of TED Radio Hour was produced by Matthew Cloutier and James Delahoussaye. It was edited by Katie Simon and Manoush Zomorodi. You can follow us on Twitter @TEDRadioHour and write to us at TEDRadio@npr.org.
