LECTURES & TALKS

Composer Eric Whitacre joins All Space Considered to discuss and share portions of his orchestral piece, "Deep Field," inspired by the Hubble Deep Field image and the universe itself. He describes in detail how you can turn the awe and magnificence of images of the universe into music. All Space Considered is Griffith Observatory’s live science program that is free and open to the public, held the first Friday of every month. Subscribe now for more All Space Considered clips: https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=griffithobservatory Watch All Space Considered videos: https://www.youtube.com/griffithobservatory Learn more about All Space Considered on our official site: http://griffithobservatory.org/asc/all_space.html Follow All Space Considered on SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter: https://twitter.com/allspacecnsdrd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllSpaceConsidered/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allspaceconsidered/ -Disclaimer- WE DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO THE, VIDEOS, MUSICAL MATERIAL OR PICTURES PRESENT THAT WERE NOT CREATED DIRECTLY BY GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY OR ITS AFFILIATES, ALL CREDIT FOR THIS MATERIAL GOES TO THE ORIGINAL ARTISTS, CREATORS AND COMPOSERS. Fair Use: "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

Where did the universe come from and where is it going? Could our universe be one of many and how come the universe keeps expanding at an ever increasing rate? Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe You can buy Jo's book "Our Universe: An Astronomer's Guide" now - https://geni.us/OVCOcP Most of us have heard of black holes and supernovas, galaxies and the Big Bang. But few of us understand more than the bare facts about the universe we call home. What is really out there? How did it all begin? Where are we going? Award-winning astrophysicist and Professor of Physics at Princeton University, Jo Dunkley traces the evolution of the Universe from the Big Bang fourteen billion years ago, past the birth of the Sun and our planets, to today and beyond. She explains cutting-edge debates about such perplexing phenomena as the accelerating expansion of the universe and the possibility that our universe is only one of many. Watch the Q&A: https://youtu.be/2kdk_I0fKPE Jo Dunkley is a Professor of Physics and Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University. Her research is in cosmology, studying the origins and evolution of the Universe. Her main projects are the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the Simons Observatory. She also works on the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. This talk was filmed at the Ri on 23 January 2019. --- A very special thank you to our Patreon supporters who help make these videos happen, especially: Dave Ostler, David Lindo, David Schick, Elizabeth Greasley, Erik Shepher, Greg Nagel, Ivan Korolev, Joe Godenzi, Lester Su, Osian Gwyn Williams, Radu Tizu, Rebecca Pan, Robert Hillier, Roger Baker, Sergei Solovev and Will Knott. --- The Ri is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution and Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.

Professor Brad Gibson, University of Hull, Great Britain discusses the planetary requirements for development of complex biological life, as well as the importance of public outreach and of supporting gender diversity in research.

Join Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Sarah Rose Siskind as they answer fan-submitted Cosmic Queries about our collision course with the Andromeda galaxy, how the Big Bang got its name, the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation, dark matter, and much more. This episode originally aired on StarTalk Radio on July 27, 2018. #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson #Galaxy

In recent years, multiple space missions have been launched. Today the earth is opening up its secrets as never before. A lecture by Jacqueline McGlade, Jackson Professor of the Environment 21 May 2019 6pm (UK time) https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/exploring-earth-from-space In recent years, multiple space missions have been launched. Many have set out across our galaxy to explore other systems and planets, capturing people’s imaginations and helping us to understand more about the origins of the universe. But there are also a myriad of space missions and platform that are sending data back to earth that are telling us about how earth is changing. Today the earth is opening up its secrets as never before.

May 15, 2019 Dr. Ross Beyer (SETI Institute) Pluto’s large moon Charon turned out to be far more interesting than astronomers expected. Pluto was the star of the New Horizons show, but the features on Charon’s surface tell a fascinating tale of how icy worlds could form far from the gravitational influences of the giant planets. There is evidence of a world-wide sub-surface ocean early on, and of global expansion as that ocean froze solid. Dr. Beyer is your expert (and humorous) guide through this story of formation and change in the frozen reaches of the outer Solar System.

Planetary scientist Dr. Bruce Banerdt of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory discusses NASA’s InSight mission to Mars and what has been learned about the interior of Mars in the mission’s five months on the surface of the Red Planet. Banerdt also compares InSight’s mission objectives and instruments to past missions built to explore planetary interiors. This was the fifth presentation in the Lunar and Planetary Institute’s 2018–2019 Cosmic Exploration Speaker Series — The LPI at 50: A Half Century of Solar System Exploration.

Anastasia Fialkov (Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge (UK)) Title: Evaluating Cosmic Dawn Abstract: Cosmic dawn is one of the least-explored epochs in the history of the Universe illuminated by the very first stars and black holes. 21-cm radio signal produced by the intergalactic neutral hydrogen is tied to the intensity of radiation generated by these first sources of light. The signal can be used to constrain process of primordial star and black hole formation as well as reionization. In my talk I will discuss astrophysical processes that drive the signal. Pioneering radio experiments such as EDGES High-Band and SARASII deliver data which are capable to disfavor large sections of the high-redshift astrophysical parameter space. I will show the first observational constraints on reionization and cosmic dawn derived using the data of global 21-cm experiments at redshifts z~6-14. I will also discuss combined constraints with high-redshift quasars and Lyman Break Galaxies. Finally, I will comment on the claimed detection made with the EDGES Low-Band antenna at z~17.

Are we alone in this vast universe? Some think that’s highly unlikely. With new technologies joining the search, NASA estimates we’ll find definitive evidence of aliens within 20 to 30 years. Which raises the vital question: And then what? Will the news inspire jubilation, despair, or fear? Will aliens be seen as gods or interlopers? Evidence of alien life will provoke fundamental questions about our place in the universe–not just about who they are, but also who we are. Join astronomers, astrobiologists, anthropologists, philosophers, and linguists as we ponder these issues. PARTICIPANTS: Kathryn Denning, David Kipping, Karen Lewis, and Marcelo Magnasco MODERATOR: Wendy Zukerman MORE INFO ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND PARTICIPANTS: https://www.worldsciencefestival.com/programs/alien-contact-happens-next/ This program is part of the BIG IDEAS SERIES, made possible with support from the JOHN TEMPLETON FOUNDATION. - SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel and "ring the bell" for all the latest videos from WSF - VISIT our Website: http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/ - LIKE us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldsciencefestival - FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WorldSciFest TOPICS: 0:17 - Participant intros 1:50 - How are scientists searching for intelligent life? 5:10 - Sending messages into space 6:59 - What kind of alien signal are we likely to detect? 9:00 - Would we be able to interpret an alien signal? 13:44 - What is the closest that intelligent life could be to Earth? 16:25 - How would we know if far away transmitting civilizations still exist? 20:00 - How well can we communicate with dolphins? 24:19 - Dolphin research film 26:27 - Understanding dolphins vs. understanding aliens 28:44 - What are the steps to understand an alien language? 38:02 - What happens on earth after we contact alien life? 44:40 - "War of the Worlds" broadcast controversy and damage 46:40 - Will the discovery of aliens unite humanity? 50:39 - What if we’re alone in the universe? 53:10 - Could AI help us find aliens? 54:20 - Using our children to bridge languages and species PROGRAM CREDITS: - Produced by John Plummer - Associate Produced by Laura Dattaro This program was recorded live 6/3/18 at the World Science Festival and has been edited and condensed for YouTube.

This is Day 3 of the 2019 Humans to Mars Summit at The National Academy of Sciences Building, Washington D.C. The agenda and list of speakers can be found at: https://h2m.exploremars.org/#agenda We're on Twitter at @WordsmithFL.

May 16, 2019 Phillips Auditorium George Ricker MIT Host: Mercedes Lopez Morales Abstract: Successfully launched in April 2018, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is well on its way to discovering thousands of exoplanets in orbit around the brightest stars in the sky. During its two-year prime survey mission, TESS will monitor more than 200,000 bright stars in the solar neighborhood for temporary drops in brightness caused by planetary transits. This first-ever spaceborne all-sky transit survey will identify planets ranging in size from Earth-sized to gas giants, orbiting a wide variety of host stars, ranging from cool M dwarfs to hot O/B giants. TESS stars are typically 30–100 times brighter than those surveyed by the Kepler satellite; thus, TESS planets are far easier to characterize with follow-up observations. For the first time it will be possible to study the masses, sizes, densities, orbits, and atmospheres of a large cohort of small planets, including a sample of rocky worlds in the habitable zones of their host stars. An additional data product from the TESS mission is its full frame images (FFIs) with a cadence of 30 minutes. These FFIs provide precise photometric information for every object within the 2300 square degree instantaneous field of view of the TESS cameras. In total, nearly 100 million objects brighter than magnitude I= +16 will be precisely photometered during the two-year prime mission. As TESS’s limiting magnitude for stacked FFIs extends to fainter than I= +19, we anticipate the discovery of a wealth of galactic and extragalactic transients during the prime mission, as well as numerous asteroids and NEOs. The initial TESS all-sky survey is well underway, covering 13 observation sectors in the Southern Ecliptic Hemisphere in Year 1, and 13 observation sectors in Year 2. A concurrent deep survey by TESS of regions surrounding the North and South Ecliptic Poles will provide prime exoplanet targets for characterization with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as well as other large ground-based and space-based telescopes coming online in the next two decades. The status of the TESS mission after the first ten observation sectors will be reviewed. The opportunities enabled by TESS’s unique lunar-resonant orbit for an extended mission lasting more than a decade will also be presented.

Loop quantum gravity aims to unify the theories of general relativity and quantum mechanics, as explained by Jim Baggott. Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe Buy Jim's book "Quantum Space": https://geni.us/7cLy Quantum gravity is the holy grail for modern theoretical physicists – a single structure that brings together the two great theories of the 20th century: quantum mechanics and general relativity. One widely-known solution is string theory, which emerged from particle physics. In this talk, Jim Baggott will describe the other approach known as Loop Quantum Gravity. This theory starts from general relativity, borrows many ideas and techniques from quantum mechanics, and predicts that space itself is quantum in nature. Watch the Q&A: https://youtu.be/XE33mycJNNI Jim Baggott is an award-winning science writer. He trained as a scientist, completing a doctorate in chemical physics at the University of Oxford in the early 80s, before embarking on post-doctoral research studies at Oxford and at Stanford University in California. This talk was filmed at the Ri on 12 February 2019. --- A very special thank you to our Patreon supporters who help make these videos happen, especially: Darren Jones, Dave Ostler, David Lindo, Elizabeth Greasley, Greg Nagel, Ivan Korolev, Joe Godenzi, Lester Su, Osian Gwyn Williams, Radu Tizu, Rebecca Pan, Robert Hillier, Roger Baker, Sergei Solovev and Will Knott. --- The Ri is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution and Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

In the last decade, we have established the existence of extragalactic fast radio bursts (FRBs) of sub-millisecond durations, likely originating at cosmologically significant distances. Explaining the FRB phenomenon has proved a compelling challenge to theory, with the number of distinct models only this year being superseded by the 65 reported events. The high FRB occurrence rate (comparable to the core-collapse supernova rate), isotropic-equivalent luminosities comparable to the most luminous quasars, the wide range of intrinsic and propagation-induced phenomenology, and the repetition of at least a sub-sample of objects are particularly noteworthy. FRBs have also opened a powerful new window into otherwise unseen matter in the Universe. Observations of large FRB samples will help assess the baryon contents and physical conditions in the hot/diffuse circumgalactic, intracluster, and intergalactic medium, and test extant compact-object dark matter models. I will review the state of the field and its promise for the future.

Sarbani Basu is a Professor in the Department of Astronomy at Yale University. She is also the current Chair of the Department. Dr. Basu received her training in India, and subsequently worked in the U.K. and Denmark before moving to the US to join the Institute for Advance Study, Princeton, NJ. She has been on the faculty of Yale since 2000. Dr. Basu specializes in the study of the Sun and other stars using data on stellar oscillations (star quakes). Her past research was devoted to studying the details of the structure and dynamics of the Sun, which allowed her claim, long before the particle physics community, that the solar neutrino problem was a problem with the standard model of particle physics, not that of astrophysics. Her current research focuses on two separate topics: The first is the study of variations in the Sun over time-scales that are of societal relevance. To this end she uses solar oscillation data to examine changes that take place inside the Sun over periods of years and decades. Her second focus is to study stars, in particular exo-planet hosts, to determine their structure, age and formation histories in order to understand those systems as well as to shed light on the past and future of the Sun and the solar system. This talk was presented at the Westport Astronomical Society on April 16, 2019.

Special guest Stef from Alltime Gaming joins Martin and Robin to discuss NASA's plans to launch a probe into an asteroid, and just what Russia is doing with beluga whales. Plus your YouTube comments and the Weekly Quiz! Check out the Alltime Gaming Super Show! https://bit.ly/2JeDFgz Don't forget to Subscribe for more Conspiracies! - http://bit.ly/1dmVsvF WE HAVE MERCH! https://teespring.com/en-GB/stores/alltime-conspiracies-merch Check out our podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2DUe9dT Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2SmxKaC AudioBoom: https://bit.ly/2P9XqVG A massive thank you to our super fans who have supported us on our Patreon page. Feel free to take a look at the rewards we have on offer for our supporters here: https://www.patreon.com/alltimeconspiracies?ty=h Like us on Facebook - http://on.fb.me/1eWsxhV Join us on Snapchat - https://www.snapchat.com/add/atconspiracies Follow us on Twitter - http://bit.ly/MNqFgY #AlltimeConspiracies , FAQ's: What editing software do we use?: http://amzn.to/2p8Y4G2 What mic do we use for our voice overs?: http://amzn.to/2pbWBzr What camera do we use to film?: http://amzn.to/2pbMv1A What computer do we edit on?: http://amzn.to/2p951qu

May 2, 2019 Phillips Auditorium Steve Finkelstein UT Austin Host: Sandro Tacchella Abstract: The reionization of the intergalactic medium (IGM) was the last major phase transition of the universe, and both the time evolution and spatial variation of this process encode key information about the onset of luminous objects in the universe. While we think that massive stars within star-forming galaxies provide the needed ionizing photons, the observed escape fractions of these photons are too low to complete reionization when combined with typical assumptions. We have devised a new semi-empirical model, utilizing simulation-predicted escape fractions (where only the smallest halos have large escape fractions) in combination with observed galaxy luminosity functions. Using physically motivated priors on the threshold for star-formation based on halo mass rather than a single limiting magnitude, and allowing the ionizing photon production efficiency to evolve as suggested by observations, we find that it is possible for reionization to be completed by z=5.5 with low (5%) average ionizing photon escape fractions. Our model makes a number of testable predictions, including: 1) AGNs contribute non-negligibly to the end of reionization, 2) the neutral fraction at z~7 is only 20%, and 3) significant star-formation must be occurring at z~9-10. I will show observational results from my group at UT Austin testing all of these assumptions, including results from ultra-deep Keck spectroscopy for Lyman-alpha emission at z~7-10, and the discovery of several remarkably bright galaxy candidates at z 9. I will finish by discussing how early observations from JWST will further test these predictions, leading to a much better understanding of how early galaxies formed, and began the reionization process.

The goal is to measure the properties of dark halos of spiral galaxies from the decomposition of HI rotation curves, in order to derive parameters for their dark halos (e.g. the dark matter density and core radius) as a function of galaxy luminosity. Separating the luminous and dark matter components of the rotation curve is an old and degenerate problem. Dynamical estimates of the surface density of the baryonic disk are often been used to break the degeneracy. This usually gives low density submaximal disks with compact dark matter halos that dominate the rotation curve almost everywhere. The surface density of the disk comes from the vertical velocity dispersion and the scale height of the disk: these two parameters must be for the same stellar population. In practice, the scale height is usually for old disk stars, while the measured velocity dispersion is for the combined light of the young and old disk populations. The young stars are bright and kinematically cold, and the combined spectrum leads to an underestimate of the stellar surface density. From high S/N data, it is possible to measure the velocity dispersion of the old hot disk without contamination from the young cold disk. Two dynamical tracers are used for some large nearby spirals: high resolution integrated light spectra of the stellar disk, and velocities of several hundred individual disk planetary nebulae. The two tracers agree well, and give maximal disk surface densities. This validates our approach to the scaling laws for dark halos, which showed how the halo density and core radius scale with luminosity. The halo density gives an estimate of the assembly time of halos of different masses. The baryon content of dwarfs indicates that halos with circular velocities below about 40 km/s are almost completely dark.

The EHT is an international collaboration that has formed to continue the steady long-term progress on improving the capability of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) at short wavelengths in pursuit of this goal. This technique of linking radio dishes across the globe to create an Earth-sized interferometer, has been used to measure the size of the emission regions of the two supermassive black holes with the largest apparent event horizons: SgrA* at the center of the Milky Way and M87 in the center of the Virgo A galaxy. In both cases, the sizes match that of the predicted silhouette caused by the extreme lensing of light by the black hole. Addition of key millimeter and submillimeter wavelength facilities at high altitude sites has now opened the possibility of imaging such features and sensing the dynamic evolution of black hole accretion. The EHT project includes theoretical and simulation studies that are framing questions rooted at the black hole boundary that may soon be answered through observations. By linking together existing telescopes using novel systems, the EHT leverages considerable global investment to create a fundamentally new instrument with angular resolving power that is the highest possible from the surface of the Earth. Over the coming years, the international EHT team will mount observing campaigns of increasing resolving power and sensitivity, aiming to bring black holes into focus.

This year marks 50 years since the first human set foot on the moon. Relive the memories with NASA scientist Brian H. Day—take a look back at each of the Apollo landing sites, examine why NASA chose each one, and reflect on what they learned at each site. Then look forward, previewing some of the proposed landing sites for future missions to the Moon and what makes each so interesting.

Thomas Gresham lived from 1519 to 1579. So much has happened since his time, yet many of the questions about our cosmic origins still remain. A lecture by Joseph Silk, Gresham Professor of Astronomy 6 March 2019 https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/astronomy-gresham-21st-century Thomas Gresham lived from 1519 to 1579. The first telescope was designed in 1608 in the Netherlands, and first pointed at the heavens by Galileo a year later. The greatest discoveries since the pre-telescope era have been that of the existence of many other planets around distant stars, and the vastness of the universe. So much has happened since Gresham’s era, yet many of the questions about our cosmic origins still remain. Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/GreshamCollege Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreshamCollege Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege/

All Space Considered looks back at the Apollo 9 mission, an important mission that enabled NASA to land astronauts on the moon in July, 1969. The mission was the first to test the lunar lander, or Lunar Module, on orbit. March 3 is the fiftieth anniversary of the mission’s launch. Two separate talks will be given at 1:00 pm and at 2:00 pm, each lasting about a half an hour.

Earnest C. Watson Lecture and Robert F. Christy Lecture by Professor Kip S. Thorne, "My Romance with Caltech and with Black Holes, Wormholes, Time Travel, and Gravitational Waves." The "warped side of the universe" - objects and phenomena made from warped space and time - was once mere speculation. In this talk, Caltech physicist Kip Thorne (BS '62), will describe how he and colleagues transformed a portion of that warped side (black holes and gravitational waves) into observed phenomena, and what they have learned about another portion (wormholes and time travel). Kip S. Thorne is the Richard P. Feyman Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech in the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy and a 2017 Nobel Laureate. Learn more about: - Kip S. Thorne's Research: http://www.its.caltech.edu/~kip/index.html/ - 2018 - 19 Watson Lecture Series Season: https://www.caltech.edu/campus-life-events/master-calendar/filter?date_start=&date_end=&type=all&search=watson&past=0&mc=1 - This lecture: https://www.caltech.edu/campus-life-events/master-calendar/kip-s-thorne-my-half-century-romance-with-caltech-and-black-holes-wormholes-time-travel-and-gravitational-waves Produced in association with Caltech Academic Media Technologies. ©2019 California Institute of Technology

After traveling for more than 12 years, NASA’s New Horizons mission flew past the cold classical Kuiper Belt Object, 2014 MU69 from a distance of 3500 km. The data returned to the ground reveals that MU69 is a contact binary. There is distinct albedo variation with a high albedo at the connection between the two lobes of this object. We recorded observations with our complete instrument suite and the initial results will be presented. Also, the challenges of carrying out a flyby at a distance of 43 AU at a target that was discovered less than 5 years before the encounter.

In this talk Dr. Meg Urry of Yale University talks about Black Hole formation and the effect on galaxies. She presented at WAS on February 19, 2019.

PUFFER project developers Jaakko Karras and Dr. Jean-Pierre de la Croix from JPL present pop-up rover technology that was created to work in parallel with larger rovers (or deployed off landers) when the landscape becomes too dangerous. These mini rovers fold flat—down to about the size of a smartphone—so several can be packed on a rover. When deployed, they are ready to charge up steep slopes, drop into craters, or partially fold to crawl on their bellies into hard-to-reach places. Solar panels on PUFFER's belly allow it to flip over and recharge before returning to the parent rover. With PUFFER, JPL hopes to offer a low-profile, low-cost solution to enable future missions to investigate more varied and extreme terrains. The design team took inspiration from origami to design PUFFER's body, which is made of folded layers of printed circuit boards. This allows the expendable tiny rovers to carry miniature science instruments such as high-resolution micro-imagers, organic molecule samplers, or spectrometers to study the chemical makeup of other planets. PUFFER has been tested in some of Earth's most challenging environments, and its designers at JPL hope to see it hitching a ride to new destinations in the solar system sometime soon. Speakers' Biography: Dr. Jean-Pierre de la Croix is a Robotics Systems Engineer in the Maritime and Multi-Agent Autonomy group. He joined JPL after completing a Ph.D. in Electrical & Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2015. His research focused on new control techniques for large-scale robotic systems, such that humans can easily and effectively interact with these complex systems. At JPL, he continues to work on multi-agent robotics for new and challenging applications. Jaakko Karras received an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from U.C. Berkeley, where he worked on tactile sensing for origami-inspired legged robots under the guidance of Prof. Ron Fearing. Prior to Berkeley, he attended Harvey Mudd College, graduating with a B.S. in Engineering (with emphasis in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science). Jaakko has developed electronics and software for robotic systems on both flight and research projects. He has also led development of the JPL PUFFER pop-up rover technology. Jaakko is currently working on the Mars Helicopter and Autonomous PUFFER projects.

If we want to discover alien life out there in the universe, we first need to figure out where to look—and what we're even looking for. Will it be biological like us? Could it be artificial, or take some other form we haven't yet considered? And how do we find something so fundamentally different from ourselves? In this program, scientists devise plans for searching for beings beyond Earth while they grapple with the very definition of life. PARTICIPANTS: Lisa Kaltenegger, Caleb Scharf, Susan Schneider, Sara Walker MODERATOR: Nicole Stott MORE INFO ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND PARTICIPANTS: https://www.worldsciencefestival.com/programs/e-t-phone-home-aliens-nature-life/ This program is part of the BIG IDEAS SERIES, made possible with support from the JOHN TEMPLETON FOUNDATION. - SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel and "ring the bell" for all the latest videos from WSF - VISIT our Website: http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/ - LIKE us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldsciencefestival - FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WorldSciFest TOPICS: - Film about the imaginative search for alien life 00:05 - Introduction to the program by astronaut Nicole Stott 04:45 - Introduction of participants 05:50 - What is the definition of life? 07:09 - How will we find signs of life elsewhere in the universe? 16:21 - What are the parameters for looking for life on other planets? 19:36 - What should the probes on Mars be looking for to find life? 24:58 - The Fermi Paradox, where is everybody? 30:56 - Have aliens avoided humans because we're too boring? 34:41 - Can we use information theory to look for life in the universe? 39:13 - Why is looking for alien life important to humankind? 44:13 - Will life in the future be AI, should we be looking for other AI in space? 46:02 - The "Great Filter" 48:52 - Is artificial intelligence alive? 50:28 - Is evolution the strongest force in the universe, how will it shape the future? 52:13 - What lessons could humankind learn from the successes and failures of other alien species in the universe? 56:58 - Why should we care about finding life elsewhere in the universe? 57:58 PROGRAM CREDITS: - Produced by John Plummer - Associate Produced by Laura Dattaro - Opening film written / produced by John Plummer, animation by Derek Breur - Music provided by APM - Additional images and footage provided by: Getty Images, Shutterstock, Videoblocks This program was recorded live at the 2018 World Science Festival and has been edited and condensed for YouTube.

Munazza Alam, Graduate Student, Harvard University In the past two decades, we have discovered thousands of planets outside of the Solar System, many of which are nothing like our own. We can learn a great deal about the properties of these planets if we observe them when they pass in front of (transit) their host stars. During transit, a small fraction of starlight filters through the planet's atmosphere. By precisely measuring the spectrum of this filtered starlight, we can learn about the makeup of the planet's atmosphere. Observing planets with this technique allows us to understand the composition of their atmospheres as well as how they formed and evolved. Munazza Alam uses data from the Hubble Space Telescope to detect and characterize the atmospheres of hot, giant planets. With extremely large telescopes like the Giant Magellan Telescope coming online in the next decade, we will be able to measure the atmospheres of smaller, cooler planets in the search of Earth-like planets elsewhere in the universe. Original music by Mark C. Petersen, Loch Ness Productions. Used with permission. Animations used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Photo credit: David Glenn

Phillips Auditorium Dan Fabrycky U. Chicago Host: Dave Latham Abstract: Besides discovering thousands of planetary systems orbiting other stars, one of the legacies of NASA's Kepler mission is the discovery of new planetary architectures. Systems of up to seven planets have been found with orbital periods near integer ratios, librating in three-body resonances. These features point to disk migration into their current orbits and a history of tidal dissipation in the planets over the lifetime of the star. Separately, gas giant planets have been found in orbit around binary star systems, at a location just barely stable against dynamical ejection. Such a location would have been hostile to formation, whereas disk migration models readily explain them. With further study, and with a wider statistical sample from missions such as TESS, these two new architectures will help us validate the physics of planet-disk interactions. Event Status: Active

This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series. https://www.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures/ Senator Harrison Schmitt was born in New Mexico and grew up in the American West. He received a Bachelors of Science from Caltech and a PhD in geology from Harvard based on work in Norway as a Fulbright Scholar and National Science Foundation Post-Doctorate Fellow. Between 1964 and 1965, Schmitt re-joined the United States Geological Survey as part of the Astrogeology Branch in Flagstaff, Arizona, leading the development of early lunar field geological methods under contract to NASA. Selected by NASA as a Scientist-Astronaut in 1965, he earned Air Force T-38 jet pilot wings in 1966 and Navy H-13 helicopter wings in 1967. Schmitt flew in space as Apollo 17’s Lunar Module Pilot, landing in the Moon’s Valley of Taurus-Littrow, December 11, 1972. He is the only scientist and last of 12 men to step on the Moon. Elected to the United States Senate from New Mexico in 1976, Schmitt worked on legislation and New Mexico affairs related to technology, immigration, education, healthcare, commerce, and national security. As part of his consulting business in aerospace and earth science, he served on the President Reagan’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, the Army Science Board, and the President H. W. Bush’s Ethics Commission and, from 2005 to 2008, chaired the NASA Advisory Council. Schmitt has received numerous honorary degrees from United States and Canadian universities. In 1983, Schmitt was a Director of Orbital Sciences Corporation/Orbital ATK, serving until 2018 when Northrop Grumman acquired the company. He also has served as a director of several corporations in the banking, technology, mining, and medical fields that included the Draper Corporation. Beginning in 1996, he taught “Resources from Space” at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is an Associate Fellow in the University’s Department of Engineering. Schmitt authored “Return to the Moon; Exploration, Enterprise and Energy in the Human Exploration of Space” and has published numerous scientific and public policy papers from 1964 to the present. Most recently, Schmitt and his co-authors published “Revisiting the field geology of Taurus-Littrow” in Icarus (2016). He travels extensively internationally as well as domestically. His account of the Apollo 17 Mission to the Moon is currently being published at americasuncommonsense.com as “Apollo 17: Diary of the 12th Man.” Schmitt lives in the intermountain West with his wife of over 30 years, Teresa Fitzgibbon, and a number of four-legged canine family members.

Marty McGuire, BackyardAstronomyGuy.com & NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador, presents a talk about NASA's TESS mission to the Lehigh Valley Amateur Astronomical Society (LVAAS.org). Thanks to the LVAAS for providing me with a recording of my talk.

Dr. Raja GuhaThakurta joins All Space Considered to talk about Galactic Cannibalism and the role it plays in the formation of complex life. Subscribe now for more All Space Considered clips: https://www.youtube.com/subscription_... All Space Considered is Griffith Observatory’s live science program that is free and open to the public, held the first Friday of every month. Watch All Space Considered videos: https://www.youtube.com/griffithobser... Learn more about All Space Considered on our official site: http://griffithobservatory.org/asc/al... Follow All Space Considered on SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter: https://twitter.com/allspacecnsdrd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllSpaceCons... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allspacecon... -Disclaimer- WE DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO THE, VIDEOS, MUSICAL MATERIAL OR PICTURES PRESENT THAT WERE NOT CREATED DIRECTLY BY GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY OR ITS AFFILIATES, ALL CREDIT FOR THIS MATERIAL GOES TO THE ORIGINAL ARTISTS, CREATORS AND COMPOSERS. Fair Use: "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

Dr. Marc Rayman joins All Space Considered to talk about NASA's DAWN mission, the first mission to orbit two bodies of the asteroid belt. He shares DAWN's incredible findings about two of our solar system's dwarf planets, Ceres and Vesta. Subscribe now for more All Space Considered clips: https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=griffithobservatory All Space Considered is Griffith Observatory’s live science program that is free and open to the public, held the first Friday of every month. Watch All Space Considered videos: https://www.youtube.com/griffithobservatory Learn more about All Space Considered on our official site: http://griffithobservatory.org/asc/all_space.html Follow All Space Considered on SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter: https://twitter.com/allspacecnsdrd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllSpaceConsidered/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allspaceconsidered/ -Disclaimer- WE DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO THE, VIDEOS, MUSICAL MATERIAL OR PICTURES PRESENT THAT WERE NOT CREATED DIRECTLY BY GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY OR ITS AFFILIATES, ALL CREDIT FOR THIS MATERIAL GOES TO THE ORIGINAL ARTISTS, CREATORS AND COMPOSERS. Fair Use: "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

Last year, Phil Ball gave a very popular talk at the Ri about quantum mechanics, here's his follow up on quantum entanglement, and our friends Alice and Bob. Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe Watch the talk that started the conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7v5NtV8v6I --- A very special thank you to our Patreon supporters who help make these videos happen, especially: Alessandro Mecca, Ashok Bommisetti, bestape, David Lindo, Elizabeth Greasley, Greg Nagel, John Pollock, Lester Su, Osian Gwyn Williams, Radu Tizu, Rebecca Pan, Roger Baker, Sergei Solovev, and Will Knott. --- The Ri is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution and Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

January 23, 2019 Dr. Alex Filippenko (University of California, Berkeley) reviews his fascinating research career in astronomy, focusing on his work with black holes and with active galaxies and supernovae (exploding stars) -- and their role in helping us determine the ultimate fate of the universe. He also talks about some of the circumstances and people that influenced his work as a scientist, about the importance of education and outreach for the public support of science, and about his work to help ensure the future of Lick Observatory, the first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory in the world.

Dr. Mila Bhattacharya is a senior scientist and Director of the Biomodel Performance Laboratory in the Space Biosciences Research Branch at NASA Ames Research Center in California, USA. Dr. Bhattacharya joined February’s All Space Considered to share what small organisms can teach us about human spaceflight. Subscribe now for more All Space Considered clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFBYARE3DsuXNWbqmD7qCZg?sub_confirmation=1 All Space Considered is Griffith Observatory’s live science program that is free and open to the public, held the first Friday of every month. Watch All Space Considered videos: https://www.youtube.com/griffithobservatory Learn more about All Space Considered on our official site: http://griffithobservatory.org/asc/all_space.html Follow All Space Considered on SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter: https://twitter.com/allspacecnsdrd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllSpaceConsidered/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allspaceconsidered/ -Disclaimer- WE DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO THE, VIDEOS, MUSICAL MATERIAL OR PICTURES PRESENT THAT WERE NOT CREATED DIRECTLY BY GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY OR ITS AFFILIATES, ALL CREDIT FOR THIS MATERIAL GOES TO THE ORIGINAL ARTISTS, CREATORS AND COMPOSERS. Fair Use: "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

Telescope Talk Hangouts are sponsored by OPT Telescopes: https://bit.ly/2SwhmVB It's time to check back in with our friends from the PLANETS Foundation to see how things are going with the Exolife Finder Telescope. Don't know what that is? Don't worry, we'll catch you up on that too! Subscribe to Launchpad Astronomy Here: https://youtube.com/ChristianReady Like this content? Please consider becoming a patron: https://patreon.com/DeepAstronomy Follow DeepAstronomy on Twitter: @DeepAstronomy Like DeepAstronomy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeepAstronomy/ Join our free Discord server for always-on chat action! https://discord.gg/nqGpvtK

Stuart Eves takes us on a tour of the solar system, covering the evolution of the stars and planets and describing some of the mysteries that we have yet to solve. Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe Since the start of the space age in 1957, our understanding of the solar system has increased enormously thanks to both space-based telescopes and spacecraft that have been sent to visit the planets. Although these missions have answered many questions, they have also collected a great deal of information that fundamentally challenges our understanding of the formation and evolution of the solar system. Stuart Eves will explain the mysteries of our local neighbourhood that we have yet to unravel. Stuart Eves is a satellite-system engineer. He has recently joined Vaeros Ltd. after spending 14 years with Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) and 16 years with the UK Ministry of Defence. During his time with the MoD, Stuart initiated the TopSat satellite programme, which established a new world record for ‘resolution per mass of satellite’, and for a time formed part of the space gallery at the Science Museum. He has recently published ‘Space Traffic Control’, a book which describes the measures needed to maintain the space environment and protect satellites from both natural hazards and man-made threats such as space debris. Stuart has an MSc in Astrophysics, a PhD in constellation design, and has been a fellow of both the Royal Astronomical Society and the British Interplanetary Society for more than 25 years. He takes an active interest in all things space, and is thus best described as an ‘astro-nut’! This talk was filmed in the Ri on 15 October 2018. --- A very special thank you to our Patreon supporters who help make these videos happen, especially: Alessandro Mecca, Ashok Bommisetti, bestape, David Lindo, Elizabeth Greasley, Greg Nagel, John Pollock, Lester Su, Osian Gwyn Williams, Radu Tizu, Rebecca Pan, Roger Baker, Sergei Solovev, and Will Knott. --- The Ri is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution and Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

Verde delivers detailed crop analytics from satellite imagery, perfectly clipped to the field and accurately de-clouded. Served as plug and play API to any precision agriculture portal, it provides reliable and quantified measures of the vegetation, consistent over time and space, whatever the satellite used. Discover Verde : www.starling-verification.com Verde is a service powered by The OneAtlas Platform. OneAtlas is an industry-leading collaborative environment to access premium imagery, perform large-scale image processing, extract industry-specific insights and develop the smartest geospatial solutions. Visit www.oneatlas.airbus.com to learn more.

The Moon is the next frontier for humanity. Professor Joseph Silk describes the history of lunar exploration since 1969 and future plans for the Moon. A lecture by Joseph Silk, Gresham Professor of Astronomy 30 January 2019 https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/50-years-lunar-exploration The Moon is undoubtedly the next frontier for humanity. The international space agencies are lining up to pursue lunar projects and even develop lunar bases. The potential of the Moon is attracting interest for industrial applications, including mining and tourism. It is essential to avoid many of the mistakes we have made on Earth as we plan the future of lunar exploration. Professor Silk will describe the history of lunar exploration since 1969 and future plans for the Moon. Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/GreshamCollege Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreshamCollege Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege/

Space Law, by Michelle Hanlon, Associate Director of the Air and Space Law Program at the University of Mississippi School of Law. The media and many commercial space companies seek to characterize outer space as a lawless frontier. But there are, in fact, laws that apply in space. The foundations of space law are grounded in general international law and custom; an enduring framework for the regulation of all space activity was established by the Outer Space Treaty, which opened for signature in 1967. Michelle is also the Co-Founder of For All Moonkind, the only organization in the Universe focused on preserving human history in space, starting with Neil Armstrong's bootprint which currently is not protected or even recognized by any international custom, agreement or regulation. Michelle presents an introduction to space law and discusses the challenges new space technologies and missions present to the existing space law regime. From the February 1, 2019 MAS Meeting. Website- http://www.MemphisAstro.org Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/groups/memphisastro/ Twitter- https://twitter.com/society_memphis

Guest Speaker: Dr Simon Peter "Pete" Worden Can we reach the stars? No extraterrestrials have yet visited us – but neither have we stepped out onto the galactic stage. Are we destined to belong to Earth for as long as we survive? Or can we reach the stars? Breakthrough Starshot is a $100 million research and engineering program aiming to lay the foundations for a flyby mission to Alpha Centauri, our nearest star system, within a generation. This is one of several privately-funded global initiatives to answer the fundamental science questions surrounding the origin, extent and nature of life in the universe. The Breakthrough Initiatives are managed by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation.

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope’s first servicing mission, astronauts Kathryn Thornton and Jeffrey Hoffman told the story of that successful, groundbreaking mission during a livestream event from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center on December 7, 2018. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center This video is public domain and can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio at: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12829 See more Hubble videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiuUQ9asub3Ta8mqP5LNiOhOygRzue8kN If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/NASAGoddard Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center · Instagram http://www.instagram.com/nasagoddard · Twitter http://twitter.com/NASAGoddard · Twitter http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix · Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASAGoddard · Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc

On December 7, 2018, a panel of astronauts from the Hubble Space Telescope’s deployment and five servicing missions celebrated 25 years of servicing with a live discussion from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center about the challenges of working on a telescope in space. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center This video is public domain and can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio at: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12829 See more Hubble videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiuUQ9asub3Ta8mqP5LNiOhOygRzue8kN If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/NASAGoddard Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center · Instagram http://www.instagram.com/nasagoddard · Twitter http://twitter.com/NASAGoddard · Twitter http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix · Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASAGoddard · Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc

233rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Seattle, WA Thursday, 10 January 2019, 2:15 pm PST Welcome Rick Fienberg (AAS Press Officer) The Extreme Transient AT2018cow: Supernova or Tidal Disruption Event? Dan Perley (Liverpool John Moores Univ.) Early Swift Observations of AT2018cow Suggest a Supernova Explosion Liliana Rivera Sandoval (Texas Tech Univ.) Swift Spectra of AT2018cow Suggest a White Dwarf Tidal Disruption Event Amy Lien (NASA/GSFC & Univ. of Maryland, Baltimore County) AT2018cow: Millimeter-Wave Radio Observations Suggest a Supernova Anna Ho (Caltech) NuSTAR Sees an X-ray Source in AT2018cow: The Birth of a Compact Object Raffaella Margutti (Northwestern Univ.) Q&A

233rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Seattle, WA Thursday, 10 January 2019, 10:15 am PST Welcome Rick Fienberg (AAS Press Officer) Characterization of Extrasolar Planets with SCExAO/CHARIS on Subaru Thayne Currie & Olivier Guyon (NAOJ/Subaru) A Search for Transiting Planets in NGC 6791 Benjamin Montet (Univ. of Chicago) Multiple Large Impacts Revealed by Variability in the Disk Around a Young Star Kate Su (Univ. of Arizona) Can “Life Find a Way” on the Super-Earth Orbiting Barnard’s Star? Edward Guinan (Villanova Univ.) Q&A

233rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Seattle, WA Wednesday, 9 January 2019, 2:15 pm PST Welcome Rick Fienberg (AAS Press Officer) A Gravitationally Lensed Quasar at the Epoch of Reionization Xiaohui Fan (Univ. of Arizona) Constraining Black Hole Spins Through Observations of Tidal Disruption Events Dheeraj Pasham (MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research) The X-ray Cavity Around a Hotspot in Cygnus A: A Bubble Inflated by a Jet Amalya Johnson (Columbia Univ.) PHANGS-ALMA: Physics at High Angular Resolution in Nearby Galaxies with ALMA Erik Rosolowsky (Univ. of Alberta) Q&A

233rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Seattle, WA Wednesday, 9 January 2019, 10:15 am PST Welcome Kerrin Hensley (AAS Media Fellow) Early Science Results on Fast Radio Bursts from CHIME Vicky Kaspi (McGill Univ.) & Deborah Good (Univ. of British Columbia) A Study of Radio Pulses from the Galactic Center Magnetar Aaron Pearlman (Caltech) Mapping the Contracting Corona in a New Black Hole Transient with NICER Erin Kara (Univ. of Maryland) Q&A