This Week in Space 216

We've had endless conversations about aliens and first contact--but what if a conversation with other intelligences is beyond our scope? Dr. Daniel Whiteson, particle physicist at CERN's Large Hadron Collider and professor at UC Irvine, joins us to explore less conventional thoughts on first contact. We look at the challenges of communicating with extraterrestrial intelligences, potential difficulties of communicating via non-terrestrial mathematics and physics, and the possibility that extraterrestrials might actually be terrestrial... but existing as denizens of the dark energy universe. One might be sitting in your lap right now! Join us for the far-ranging discussion.

Headlines:

• Boeing’s Troubled Starliner Spacecraft Faces Further Setbacks and Delays
• NASA Perseverance Rover Finds Promising Clues of Ancient Life on Mars
• NASA Space Telescope Faces Fiery Descent, Mission Planned to Save It

Main Topic: Dark Matter, Particle Physics, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

• UC Irvine’s Dr. Daniel Whiteson Discusses Path into Space Science and Particle Physics
• Exploring Nontraditional Signals for Alien Communication Beyond Radio Waves
• The Mystery of Ultra-High Energy Particles and Speculation on Artificial Cosmic Rays
• Challenges of Detecting, Interpreting, and Interacting with Alien Intelligence
• Implications of Dark Matter for Hidden Civilizations and Parallel Existence
• Complexities in Communicating with Truly Alien Life and Human-Centric Scientific Assumptions

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• Tech: Could Dark Matter Harbor Intelligent Alien Life?
• Transcripts: This Week in Space 216 Transcript

Links

• NASA and Boeing still uncertain about when Starliner will return to flight
• Did NASA just find evidence of ancient life on Mars? Perseverance rover spots complex carbon in Red Planet rocks
• NASA is paying $30 million for a 1st-of-its-kind rescue mission to the aging Swift telescope before it falls from space. Is it worth it?
• Space.com App
• Daniel Whiteson
• Daniel & Kelly's Extraordinary Universe