SETI Live SETI Institute

A deeply eroded giant volcano, active from ancient through recent times and with possible remnants of glacier ice near its base, had been hiding near Mars’ equator in plain sight. Its discovery points to an exciting new place to search for life, and a potential destination for future robotic and human exploration.
“We were examining the geology of an area where we had found the remains of a glacier last year when we realized we were inside a huge and deeply eroded volcano,” said Dr. Pascal Lee, planetary scientist with the SETI Institute and the Mars Institute based at NASA Ames Research Center, and the lead author of the study announced at the 55th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held in The Woodlands, Texas. Sourabh Shubham, a graduate student in the Department of Geology at the University of Maryland, is co-author of the discovery. 
Join Dr. Lee as he talks with communications specialist Beth Johnson about the recent discovery and its potential impact on the search for life beyond Earth. (Recorded 11 April 2024.) 
Press release: https://www.seti.org/press-release/giant-volcano-discovered-mars

A potential future space mission known as the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets (LIFE) could study terrestrial worlds in their stars' habitable zones (where water can be liquid) using spectral emissions in the mid-infrared. With only one known example of a world with life - Earth - scientists recently examined whether or not such a mission could determine if a planet was habitable. Published in The Astrophysical Journal, the results of a recent study concluded that yes, LIFE could find "signatures of crucial atmospheric species and [detect] the planet's temperate climate as well as surface conditions allowing for liquid water."
Co-author Björn S. Konrad joins senior planetary astronomer Franck Marchis from ETH Zurich for an engaging SETI Live on how they used remote sensing data to draw their conclusions and what the results mean for the search for life beyond Earth. (Recorded 4 April 2024.)
Press release: https://www.phys.ethz.ch/news-and-events/d-phys-news/2024/02/if-earth-were-an-exoplanet.html
Paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ad198b 

Join us for a live discussion with senior planetary astronomer Franck Marchis and planetary scientist Beth Johnson as they delve into the thrilling search for life on Saturn's icy moon, Enceladus. Drawing on recent findings highlighted by Universe Today and ESA, Franck and Beth will explore the significant implications of a single grain of ice potentially holding evidence of life and why Enceladus stands as a top target for future explorations by the European Space Agency.
Discover how ESA's ambitious mission plans aim to investigate the habitability of ocean worlds within our Solar System, focusing on the unique conditions of Enceladus. Learn about the intriguing characteristics that make this distant moon an ideal candidate for uncovering signs of life beyond Earth, including its watery plumes rich in organic compounds and the powerful source of chemical energy that may fuel living organisms. This engaging session promises to ignite curiosity and offer insights into the technological innovations and scientific quests that drive our search for extraterrestrial life.
Don't miss this opportunity to journey through the latest advancements and hypotheses that position Enceladus as a beacon of hope in the quest to answer one of humanity's most profound questions: Are we alone in the universe? (Recorded 28 March 2024.)

The TRAPPIST-1 planetary system has fascinated both scientists and the public since the discovery of the last five of its seven terrestrial worlds in 2017. With four of those planets in the so-called habitable zone, where water can be liquid, the system has become a favorite target of ground- and space-based telescopes alike, especially with regard to the potential for harboring life. However, TRAPPIST-1 is a red dwarf star, cooler and smaller than our own Sun, leading to concerns about the ability of these tidally locked worlds to develop and maintain their own atmospheres. Now, in new research published in The Astrophysical Journal, a team of researchers has discovered that TRAPPIST-1e's atmosphere is being stripped by strong electric currents, quashing some hopes that the world is habitable.
Communications specialist Beth Johnson is joined by co-author Dr. Cecilia Garraffo from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics to talk about this disappointing news and its impact on the search for life beyond Earth, as well as her work in establishing AstroAI, "a cutting-edge research institute dedicated to advancing astrophysics through the application of artificial intelligence." (Recorded 21 March 2024.)
Paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ad206a

A tale of destiny and danger, The Asteroid Hunter chronicles firsthand the high-stakes OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission, narrated by Principal Investigator Dr. Dante Lauretta. It offers readers an intimate glimpse into the riveting exploits of the mission and Dr. Lauretta's wild, winding personal journey to Bennu and back. Peeling back the curtain on the wonders of the cosmos, this enthralling account promises a rare glimpse into the tightly woven fabric of scientific exploration, where technical precision converges with humanity’s profound curiosity and indomitable spirit.
In anticipation of this exciting new release, communications specialist Beth Johnson chats with Dr. Lauretta about the book, the mission, and the future of asteroid science. (Recorded live 19 March 2024.)

Nimbly combining the tools of art and science, SETI Institute Artist in Residence Xin Liu expresses what it means to be human through a diverse body of work that includes frost-coated sculptures, a bubbling fountain of crude oil, and a performance in outer space. In a new body of sculptures exhibited at Pioneer Works in New York City, the artist considers her fears around having her eggs frozen, creating warped, skeletal, frost-covered sculptures that propose a human body transformed through a cryogenic process. Through art, Liu centers the human experience in the face of technologies and developments motivated by efficiency, productivity, and optimization.
Art21 is the world’s leading source to learn directly from the artists of our time. A nonprofit organization, the mission of Art21 is to educate and expand access to contemporary art, producing documentary films, resources, and public programs. Learn more at http://Art21.org. 
Join SETI Artist in Residence Program Director Bettina Forget as she chats with Emma Nordin from Art21, premieres Xin Liu's video, and then speaks with her about this latest show and its scientific concepts.