About this episode
This episode explores the threat of asteroids, recent deflection experiments, and the potential for asteroids to have brought the building blocks of life to Earth.
Everyone knows that a big rock wiped out the dinosaurs. But the danger from an asteroid hitting Earth is not limited to ancient history. To deal with this threat, scientists recently ran an experiment to deflect a potential “city killer.” We’ll hear the results of that experiment, and about a visit to another asteroid. In the dusty material NASA brought back from the asteroid Bennu, scientists found the chemical building blocks of life, including many of the amino acids that are found in our cells. Could an asteroid have brought the ingredients for life to ancient Earth? In this episode, we look at our paradoxical relationship with the space rocks that taketh way – and may help giveth - life. Guests: Scott Sandford - Astrophysicist and Research Scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center Robin George Andrews - Science journalist, volcanologist, and author of "How to Kill an Asteroid: The Real Science of Planetary Defense" Descripción en español Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to…
People in this episode
Host: Big Picture Science
Guests: Scott Sandford, Robin George Andrews
Topics covered
- asteroids
- planetary defense
- chemical building blocks of life
- NASA
- space exploration
Keywords
- asteroid
- deflection experiment
- chemical building blocks
- NASA
- life origins
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NASA
Books & works: How to Kill an Asteroid: The Real Science of Planetary Defense
Places: Earth, Bennu
More episodes of Big Picture Science
- Vroom! · June 8, 2026 · 54 min
- Outside of Our Minds · June 1, 2026 · 54 min
- Skeptic Check: Cryptids · May 25, 2026 · 54 min
- Allergy Reason · May 18, 2026 · 54 min
- Preventing Future Pandemics · May 11, 2026 · 60 min
- Shadow of Chernobyl · May 4, 2026 · 58 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Big Picture Science podcast page.