Cheap Astronomy - Dear Cheap Astro Ep. 123: The Big Questions

Asking questions and not always answering them. Is there hope? Well, sure. The question arises where the Drake Equation, aiming to quantify the likely number of detectable intelligent civilizations out there includes a term representing the inherent risk of any intelligent civilization destroying itself. It is just a risk, could be low could be high, but its wide acceptance as a part of the whole equation does suggest we have some pessimism about our own future.   Could dark matter be black holes? Well, no. Firstly. we've discussed before how black holes can't really be dark matter. Dark matter is not only invisible, but it's also transparent. Black holes can be invisible against a black background and after all space is a black background.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].