S5E02 : SETI - The science of SETI

Having learned a bit about teh history of SETI, this week we set out to learn a bit of the science behind it and how scientists go about studying and searching for extra-terrestrial life. Sophia, Alice, Linh and Matilde take turns tellign us about everything from Radioastronomy to how AI can help. And in the end they share their thoughts, their excitement or reservatiosn about the potential of contact with an alien civilisation ! Chapters : 1:10 - Overview of the topic 2:25 - What is spectroscopy 3:47 - how we use spectroscopy in SETI research6:21 - the role of Radioastronomy9:03 - Why radiowaves though?9:27 - “narrowband signals” as a signature 10:38 - the “hydrogen line” and the WOW signal 12:50 - What is a Radiotelescope?13:40 - what is a telescope ‘array’?14:19 - How do we analyse signals from space?15:56 - what are the signs of a potential alien radio-signal ?20:04 - signs of intelligence in radio signals22:23 - how do scientists choose where to look for signals?24:07 - Radio-interferometry26:55 - Galaxies that hum 28:38 - Matilde’s thoughts on SETI 29:42 - Linn’s thoughts on SETI30:52 - Alice’s thoughts on SETI31:38 - Sophia’s thoughts 33:08 - How can we make SETI more mainstream33:52 - Sophia’s thoughts on actual contact with an Alien Civilisation34:30 - Alice’s thoughts on mainstreaming SETI and the potential contact 36:25 - Lin’s reflexions on why we should talk about SETI more and potential contact 37:42 - Matilda’s skepticism for humanity’s capacity to face an alien civilisation ----- Credits -- Intro Music : "Feelin Good" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Episode Music : "Mirage" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/