16: Mysterious Aliens

How do Scientists search for extraterrestrial life? If we discover aliens, what's our protocol for making contact? And if we do find them..will ET look like us? All these extraterrestrial related questions (and a whole lot more) are answered by our intrepid science reporters, Jeanna and Mindy.

 

Below you can find links to further reading on the topics discussed in this episode.

 

Mystery #1: How Do Scientists Search for Extraterrestrial Life?

• Astronomers use sophisticated equipment to listen farther and peer deeper into the universe than ever before
• For an alien-seeking scientist, "life" means any living form including microbes on distant exoplanet 

 

Mystery #2: If We Discover Aliens, What's Our Protocol for Making Contact?

• Life could theoretically exist on Mars, or on Europa, a moon of Jupiter, 
• The first reported flying saucer sighting was in 1947, 

 

Interview with  Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer and Institute Fellow with the SETI Institute on the story: Is It Time To Rethink How We Search for Alien Life?

 

NEWS UPDATE with Live Science reporter Stephanie Pappas: Could E.T. Have Bugged a Space Rock to Listen In on Earthlings?

 

Mystery #3: Will ET Look Like Us?

• Depictions of Aliens in popular culture have often been very humanlike in their appearance 
• In England references to little green men or children dates back to the 12th century green children of Woolpit.  

Don’t forget to subscribe! You can find more answers to life’s little mysteries at the Live Science website and you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook too. Tell us what your life’s little mysteries are at forums.livescience.com.

 

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Music by Chad Crouch - Algorithms

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