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On the show
From 10 epsHosts
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Recent episodes
The 45 Best Places to Look for Alien Life
Apr 28, 2026
37m 16s
SkyMapper is Live! Explore the Sky in Real Time
Apr 14, 2026
44m 38s
Planet Crash: Cosmic Collision Caught in Action
Apr 7, 2026
33m 09s
From Moon to Mars: What Artemis II Means for the Future
Mar 31, 2026
47m 27s
The Science of SETI: Inside the First Modern Textbook
Mar 27, 2026
44m 32s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/28/26 | The 45 Best Places to Look for Alien Life✨ | search for alien lifeEarth-like worlds+4 | Dr. Lisa KalteneggerAbigail Bohl | James Webb Space TelescopeSETI Institute+1 | — | alien lifeEarth-like planets+5 | — | 37m 16s | |
| 4/14/26 | SkyMapper is Live! Explore the Sky in Real Time✨ | SkyMapperastronomy+3 | Franck Marchis | SkyMapperSETI Institute | — | SkyMapperastronomy+5 | — | 44m 38s | |
| 4/7/26 | Planet Crash: Cosmic Collision Caught in Action✨ | planetary collisionastronomy+3 | Anastasios Tzanidakis | University of Washington | — | planet collisioncosmic debris+3 | — | 33m 09s | |
| 3/31/26 | From Moon to Mars: What Artemis II Means for the Future✨ | lunar explorationArtemis II+4 | Pascal Lee | NASASETI Institute+1 | MoonMars | Artemis IIlunar surface+5 | — | 47m 27s | |
| 3/27/26 | The Science of SETI: Inside the First Modern Textbook✨ | extraterrestrial intelligenceSETI methods+4 | Jason Wright | SETI InstituteThe Penn State Extraterrestrial Intelligence Center+1 | — | SETIextraterrestrial intelligence+5 | — | 44m 32s | |
| 3/24/26 | The Titan Impact: Saturn's Moon System May Have Had a Catastrophic Past✨ | SaturnTitan+4 | Matija Ćuk | SETI Institute | SaturnTitan+1 | TitanSaturn+5 | — | 42m 24s | |
| 3/20/26 | Rethinking Radio: A New Way to Hear the Universe?✨ | radio astronomyextraterrestrial technology+3 | Cyril Tasse | SETI InstituteNature Astronomy+4 | — | radio wavesexoplanets+3 | — | 32m 51s | |
| 3/17/26 | Unistellar + Citizen Science (Part 8): 2025 Observations, An Exoplanet Candidate, and Rockets!✨ | citizen scienceexoplanet candidate+4 | Dr. Franck MarchisDr. Lauren Sgro | SETI InstituteSkyMapper | — | citizen scienceUnistellar+5 | — | 34m 46s | |
| 3/3/26 | Missing Link Found: A Breakthrough in Exoplanet Science✨ | exoplanetsplanetary formation+5 | John H. Livingston | SETI InstituteMissing Link Found: A Breakthrough in Exoplanet Science+1 | — | exoplanet scienceplanetary evolution+5 | — | 34m 35s | |
| 2/24/26 | Exoplanetary Poetry: AI, Chemistry, and Alien Communication✨ | art-science collaborationalien communication+3 | daniela brill estradaBart Kuipers+1 | SETI InstituteSETI AIR program+1 | — | exoplanetsAI+3 | — | 39m 17s | |
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| 2/17/26 | Lost Pulsars Found? Breakthrough Listen's Deep Survey of the Galactic Core | Are we finally uncovering hidden pulsars at the center of the Milky Way? Join host Beth Johnson and William J. Welch Postdoctoral Fellow Karen Perez for a deep dive into a newly announced discovery of a possible pulsar near our galaxy's core. Using data from the Breakthrough Listen Deep Pulsar Survey and observations with the NSF Green Bank Telescope, researchers are probing one of the most extreme and mysterious regions in the Milky Way. The Galactic Center is a chaotic environment dominated by the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. For decades, astronomers have predicted that many pulsars should orbit this region — yet very few have been detected. Why are they so hard to find? And what would discovering more of them mean for testing gravity, mapping the Galactic Center, and understanding extreme astrophysics? Press release: https://news.columbia.edu/news/researchers-announce-discovery-possible-pulsar-milky-ways-center Paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae336c Datasets: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/research/group/breakthrough-listen/deep-pulsar-survey-results-galactic-center (Recorded live 12 February 2026.) | — | ||||||
| 2/10/26 | Back to the Moon: How Artemis II Sets the Stage for the Next Era of Missions | Humanity is heading back to the Moon—and Artemis II is the mission that makes it real. In this SETI Live, host Simon Steel is joined by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens, assistant research scientist at NASA Goddard, to explore how Artemis II will prepare the way for future astronaut missions. Artemis II isn't landing on the Moon—but it is laying the groundwork. From mapping the lunar environment to understanding how radiation, extreme cold, and surface conditions affect both spacecraft and humans, this mission is a crucial scouting expedition. The data gathered will directly inform how astronauts live, work, and explore when boots return to lunar soil. Together, we'll unpack how lunar scientists are using Artemis II to test assumptions, close knowledge gaps, and turn decades of robotic exploration into a sustainable human presence beyond Earth. This is the Moon as a proving ground—not just for technology, but for the future of deep-space exploration. (Recorded live 2 February 2026.) | — | ||||||
| 2/3/26 | Life After Ice: 46,000-Year-Old Worms Wake Up | In this SETI Live episode, host Simon Steel (Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Center) chats with evolutionary biologist Philipp Schiffer (Worm Lab) about one of the most astonishing discoveries in modern biology: scientists have revived a microscopic worm that had been frozen in Siberian permafrost for roughly 46,000 years. These nematodes entered a state of cryptobiosis — a kind of biological "pause" — and came back to life when gently thawed in the lab. They didn't just wiggle; they fed, reproduced, and gave us a window into life's extreme resilience. Simon and Philipp dive into the role of cryptobiosis, how radiocarbon dating places these organisms back in the late Pleistocene when woolly mammoths roamed, and what it means for the limits of suspended animation. This is biology meeting deep time — and you're invited to stretch your imagination along with the science. (Recorded live 29 January 2026.) | — | ||||||
| 1/27/26 | SETI@home Update: 21 Years of Citizen Science—and 100 Signals to Investigate | For more than two decades, millions of volunteers turned their home computers into a planet-scale telescope, donating idle processing power to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence through SETI@home. That effort ended in 2020—but the data never stopped speaking. Now, UC Berkeley scientists have taken a fresh, rigorous look at the vast SETI@home archive and identified around 100 intriguing signals that warrant closer scrutiny. In this SETI Live, host Beth Johnson is joined by Eric Korpela (UC Berkeley), one of the scientists behind the original SETI@home project and the new analyses. Together, they'll unpack how citizen science made this work possible, what these signals actually are (and are not), how researchers sort cosmic noise from something genuinely interesting, and what this next phase of investigation means for the future of SETI. Are any of these signals evidence of technology beyond Earth? Probably not—but "probably" is exactly where the science gets interesting. Join us for a deep dive into distributed computing, signal vetting, and what happens after the screensavers stop. (Recorded live 22 January 2026.) | — | ||||||
| 1/20/26 | When Galaxies Collide: Euclid Reveals What Triggers Active Black Holes | Using early data from the European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope, astronomers have analyzed over one million galaxies to test a long-standing idea in astrophysics: that galaxy mergers help trigger the growth of supermassive black holes. In this SETI Live, host Dr. Moiya McTier will explore two new Euclid studies that combine vast sky surveys, machine learning, and multi-wavelength observations to uncover when and why active galactic nuclei (AGN) ignite. The results show that galaxies in the midst of mergers are far more likely to host actively feeding black holes — and that the brightest AGN are almost always found in cosmic collisions. Dr. McTier will be joined by lead authors Dr. Berta Margalef-Bentabol, Dr. Lingyu Wang, and Dr. Antonio la Marca from the Space Research Organisation Netherlands (SRON). They will discuss how Euclid identifies merging galaxies at scale, how researchers measure the black hole's contribution to a galaxy's light, and what this tells us about the coevolution of galaxies and their central black holes. We'll also look ahead to what future Euclid data could reveal as the survey expands to billions of galaxies. (Recorded live 15 January 2026.) | — | ||||||
| 1/13/26 | What to Expect in Space Science 2026 | 2026 is a pivotal year for space science. From humans returning to the Moon to new telescopes opening more expansive windows on the universe, this year marks a turning point in how we explore space—and why it matters. SETI Institute communications specialist Beth Johnson and Senior Planetary Astronomer Franck Marchis will tour the biggest missions, milestones, and moments shaping space science in 2026. We'll look at crewed lunar exploration, robotic missions to asteroids and planets, next-generation observatories, and the celestial events unfolding above our own skies. Along the way, we'll talk about what these missions are designed to discover, the questions they're trying to answer, and how they fit into the bigger story of humanity's search to understand our place in the cosmos. Whether you follow every launch or love looking up at the night sky, this episode will connect the dots between ambitious engineering, fundamental science, and the sense of wonder that keeps us exploring. (Recorded live 8 January 2026.) | — | ||||||
| 12/30/25 | 3I/ATLAS: Caught in UV | What Europa Clipper Saw When No One Else Could | We're going live with Dr. Cynthia Phillips, Europa Clipper Project Staff Scientist and Science Communications Lead, from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to explore a surprising and exciting new chapter in comet science. Recently, the Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) aboard NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft made unique observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS at a time when Earth- and Mars-based telescopes couldn't see it. In this livestream, communications specialist Beth Johnson and Dr. Phillips will unpack what these observations mean for our understanding of interstellar visitors and how instruments designed for one mission can yield discoveries well beyond their original goals. We'll lay out: • How Europa-UVS captured data on 3I/ATLAS's tails and coma while other assets were blocked by the Sun, bridging a critical observational gap. • What signatures of oxygen, hydrogen, and dust the instrument detected, and why that matters. • Why observations from unexpected vantage points — like those aboard Europa Clipper — can deepen our picture of interstellar objects. • What this tells us about the composition, activity, and evolution of a comet that formed around another star. Interstellar comets like 3I/ATLAS are cosmic time capsules from beyond our solar system, carrying clues about alien planetary systems. Capturing data from a spacecraft not originally tasked with comet science is a testament to scientific adaptability and ingenuity — and it gives researchers a rare look inside the workings of an object that has journeyed across the galaxy to visit us. Press release: https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/europa-clipper/2025/12/18/nasas-europa-clipper-observes-comet-3i-atlas/ (Recorded live 19 December 2025.) | — | ||||||
| 12/23/25 | Earth 2.0? Maybe Not. Intelligent Life Might Be Far Rarer Than We Think | Get ready for a fascinating deep dive into one of the biggest questions in astrobiology: How common are biological extraterrestrial intelligences in the Milky Way? Host Simon Steel, Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Center for Research, is joined by Manuel Scherf and Helmut Lammer (Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences) to explore new research that challenges long-held assumptions about "Earth-like" planets and what it really takes for a world to support complex life. Recent work from Scherf, Lammer, and colleagues revisits the idea of Eta-Earth — the number of truly Earth-like habitats in the Galaxy. Their models extend far beyond the basic "habitable zone" and incorporate a suite of filters, including stable atmospheres, oxygen-rich conditions, plate tectonics, subaerial land, and long-term planetary evolution. These filters significantly reduce the number of planets that could potentially host complex or technological life. The study finds that even under generous assumptions, the Milky Way may host at most 60,000 to 250,000 Earth-like habitats — and the number that actually evolve intelligent life could be far smaller. The result? A serious rethink of how rare (or precious) intelligent life might be. Join us as we explore what this means for SETI strategies, exoplanet surveys, and our own cosmic significance. It's a conversation that blends astrophysics, planetary science, and a bit of existential wonder — perfect for anyone curious about where life fits into the grand structure of the cosmos. Paper: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ast.2023.0076 Conference Abstract: https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2025/EPSC-DPS2025-1512.html (Recorded live 8 December 2025.) | — | ||||||
| 12/19/25 | SkyMapper: Map All the Sky, All the Time | In a special bonus SETI Live, communication specialist Beth Johnson welcomes astronomer and entrepreneur Franck Marchis to introduce SkyMapper, a new global network of smart telescopes and all-sky sensors designed to open the universe to everyone. SkyMapper brings together professional observatories, citizen astronomers, and classrooms into a single, decentralized platform. It enables real scientific discovery — from tracking satellites and meteors to monitoring comets and transient events in real time — while giving students and the public the chance to observe the sky, contribute data, and learn how modern astronomy works. We'll talk about the science, the outreach mission, the importance of the SETI Institute's partnership with SkyMapper, and why a worldwide, always-on view of the sky matters more than ever for research, education, and our shared curiosity. Join us live and discover how you can be part of this new way of exploring the universe. 📚 Learn more about SkyMapper: www.skymapper.io 👋 Join the SkyMapper community on Telegram: https://t.me/skymapper_community ✅ Follow SkyMapper on social media: BlueSky: @skymapper.bsky.social X (formerly Twitter): @Skymapperspace LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skymapper-inc/ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/SkyMapper/ (Recorded live 5 December 2025.) | — | ||||||
| 12/16/25 | Baby Moons in the Making? The Discovery of a Moon-Forming Disk | On this episode of SETI Live, host Moiya McTier welcomes two leading researchers—Gabriele Cugno (University of Zürich) & Sierra L. Grant (Carnegie Institution for Science)—to dive into an extraordinary discovery by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): a carbon-rich, moon-forming disk around the distant exoplanetary object CT Cha b, some 625 light-years away. What exactly is a "moon-forming disk"? Why is this discovery a game-changer for our understanding of how moons — and ultimately habitable environments around them — can form? Gabriele and Sierra walk us through spectroscopy, chemistry (including acetylene, benzene, and more), observational challenges, and the big philosophical questions: Could moons be even more common than planets? What does this tell us about our own Solar System's past — and the possibilities for life elsewhere? 📚 For more: NASA Press Release: https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/nasas-webb-telescope-studies-moon-forming-disk-around-massive-planet/ Research Paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ae0290 (Recorded live 4 December 2025.) | — | ||||||
| 12/12/25 | The Moon that Could Support Life: What Cassini Discovered Beneath the Ice of Enceladus | Join host Beth Johnson for a fascinating episode of SETI Live, featuring planetary scientists Dr Georgina Miles and Dr Carly Howett from the University of Oxford. We'll be unpacking their groundbreaking study showing that Enceladus — one of Saturn's icy moons — may harbor a stable subsurface ocean capable of supporting life. 📄 For more info: The study "Endogenic heat at Enceladus' north pole" has just been published in Science Advances: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adx4338 Official press release from the University of Oxford: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-11-10-saturn-s-icy-moon-may-host-stable-ocean-fit-life-new-study-finds (Recorded live 20 November 2025.) | — | ||||||
| 12/9/25 | Where Water Boils the Sky: Steam Worlds and the Search for Life | What happens when a planet is full of water—but too hot for oceans? Meet the "steam worlds," exotic exoplanets wrapped in thick water vapor and boiling at thousands of degrees. These strange worlds may be far from habitable, but they're reshaping how scientists think about planets, water, and where life might exist. In this episode of SETI Live, host Beth Johnson talks with Artem Aguichine of the University of California, Santa Cruz, about his new research modeling the interiors and atmospheres of steam worlds—a class of water-rich sub-Neptunes that could dominate our galaxy. With data from the JWST revealing steam signatures on distant planets, these models are helping scientists decode what's really going on beneath the haze. Join us as we explore: • What defines a "steam world" and how it forms • How water behaves under crushing pressure and searing heat • Why JWST's new observations are changing the game • What these discoveries mean for the future search for life beyond Earth 🔗 Learn more: UCSC Press Release – https://news.ucsc.edu/2025/08/new-model-steam-worlds Research Paper – https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/add935 (Recorded live 13 November 2025.) | — | ||||||
| 12/5/25 | TRAPPIST‑1 e Revealed: Peering Inside an Exoplanet's Atmosphere | Join SETI Live host Moiya McTier with Néstor Espinoza (STScI) and Ana Glidden (MIT) for a deep dive into the latest JWST observations of TRAPPIST‑1 e, one of the most tantalizing Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone of a nearby star. In this episode, we explore: 🛰 How JWST is peering into TRAPPIST-1 e's atmosphere (or lack thereof). 🔵 Why the planet almost certainly doesn't have a thick hydrogen envelope, ruling out a mini-Neptune-like world. 🪨 The emerging hints of a secondary, heavier atmosphere — or the possibility that it's a bare rock. ⭐️ The challenges posed by stellar activity and their implications for habitability. Get ready for a conversation about exoplanet atmospheres, habitability, and the next steps in characterizing worlds beyond our Solar System. Press release: http://webbtelescope.org/news-2025-109 Papers: Espinoza et al., https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/adf42e Glidden et al., https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/adf62e (Recorded live 6 November 2025.) | — | ||||||
| 12/2/25 | Welcome Moiya! A New Host Joins SETI Live | Dr. Moiya McTier is an astrophysicist, folklorist, and science communicator in New York City who loves planets, galaxy evolution, her cat named Cosmo, and old stories about space. She is also the latest addition to our rotating cast of hosts for SETI Live! Join communications specialist Beth Johnson for an interview to introduce Moiya to the community. So please bring your questions and help us welcome her to the team! (Recorded live 3 November 2025.) | — | ||||||
| 11/28/25 | Comet 3I/ATLAS Perihelion Update | What happens when a visitor from another star system drops by? Join planetary astronomers Franck Marchis and Ariel Graykowski for a special SETI Live all about Comet 3I/ATLAS — only the third known interstellar object ever detected! Astronomers around the world, including citizen scientists in the Unistellar Network, are racing to learn as much as possible about this rare cosmic traveler. 3I/ATLAS is swinging through our neighborhood, reaching perihelion on October 30, 2025, just inside the orbit of Mars — a front-row seat for spacecraft like Lucy and Psyche. While it's currently hidden behind the Sun, it won't stay that way for long. By December 2025, 3I/ATLAS will reappear, ready for a fresh round of observations from Earth and its Lagrange-point observatories. We'll dive into what scientists have discovered so far, how they're studying this interstellar visitor, and what it might reveal about the chemistry and dynamics of other star systems. Don't miss it — interstellar comets don't come around every day! (Recorded live 31 October 2025.) | — | ||||||
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