Are we alone in the Universe? The expert opinion on that, it turns out, is surprisingly consistent.
“Is there other life in the Universe? I would say: probably,” Daniel Zucker, Associate Professor of astronomy at Macquarie University, tells astrophysics student and The Conversation’s editorial intern Antonio Tarquinio on today’s podcast episode.
“I think that we will discover life outside of Earth in my lifetime. If not that, then in your lifetime,” says his fellow Macquarie University colleague, Professor Orsola De Marco.
And Lee Spitler, a Senior Lecturer and astronomy researcher at the same institution, was similarly optimistic: “I think there’s a high likelihood that we are not alone in the Universe.”
The big question, however, is what that life might look like.
Read more: The Dish in Parkes is scanning the southern Milky Way, searching for alien signals
We’re also hearing from Danny C Price, project scientist for the Breakthrough Listen project scanning the southern skies for unusual patterns, on what the search for alien intelligence looks like in real life - and what it’s yielded so far.
The Parkes radio telescope is scanning the southern skies, searching for signals from intelligent alien life. AAP/MICK TSIKASRead more: 'The size, the grandeur, the peacefulness of being in the dark': what it's like to study space at Siding Spring Observatory
New to podcasts?Everything you need to know about how to listen to a podcast is here.
Additional audio credits
Kindergarten by Unkle Ho, from Elefant Traks.
Lucky Stars by Podington Bear, from Free Music Archive
Illumination by Kai Engel, from Free Music Archive
Podcast episode recorded and edited by Antonio Tarquinio.
Lead imageShutterstock
Trust Me, I’m An Expert: Brain-zapping, the curious case of the n-rays and other stories of evidence
Trust Me I’m An Expert: The science of pain
Trust Me I’m An Expert: Why February is the real danger month for power blackouts
Trust Me, I’m an Expert: Risk
Marrying across Australia’s Catholic-Protestant divide
Trust Me, I’m An Expert: Competition
Trust Me, I’m An Expert: a lawyer, a biblical scholar and a fact-checker walk into the same-sex marriage debate…
Trust Me, I’m An Expert: a new podcast from The Conversation
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Conversation Weekly
In Depth, Out Loud
Don’t Call Me Resilient
To the moon and beyond
Sains Sekitar Kita