Big Picture Science for 02/27/12 - Rife with Life

Big Picture Science - Rife with Life

“Follow the water” is the mantra of those who search for life beyond Earth. Where there’s water, there may be life. Join us on a tour of watery solar system bodies that hold promise for biology. Dig beneath the icy shell of Jupiter’s moon Europa, and plunge into the jets of Enceladus, Saturn’s satellite.

And let’s not forget the Red Planet. Mars is rusty and dusty, but it wasn’t always a world of dry dunes. Did life once thrive here? Also, the promise of life in the exotic hydrocarbon lakes of Titan.

Science-fiction author Robert J. Sawyer joins us, and relates how these exotic outposts have prompted imaginative stories of alien life.

Guests:

• Robert J. Sawyer – Hugo award-winning science fiction author
• Cynthia Phillips – Planetary geologist at the SETI Institute
• Alexander Hayes – Planetary scientist at the University of California, Berkeley
• Rachel Mastrapa – Planetary scientist for NASA and the SETI Institute
• Robert Lillis – Space and planetary scientist at the Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Rife_with_Life

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

SETIcon II is in motion!

Posted on behalf of SETIcon II and the SETI Institute:

Mark your calendar, SETIcon II is in motion! This special event is scheduled for June 22-24, 2012 at the Hyatt Santa Clara. Join us for a full weekend of science, entertainment, and stimulating conversation.

SETIcon II: Where Science and Imagination Meet - with speakers ranging from SETI Institute scientists to science fiction writers and actors. Each day has a plethora of talks, panel discussions, and "fireside" chats to choose from. In each, you will have the opportunity to pose questions directly to speakers or panelists such as UC Berkeley Astronomy Professor Geoff Marcy, Cosmologist Alex Filippenko, Pixar's Chris Ford, and SETI Institute scientists, such as Seth Shostak, Jill Tarter, and Frank Drake, just to name a few.

Along with the program sessions, there are some fabulous events planned such as an exciting Friday Night Launch Party, a Luncheon with Scientists on Saturday afternoon, a Gala Awards Dinner on Saturday evening, and a Keynote Brunch on Sunday.

For attendees who wish to make this event a full experience, the SETIcon II event team has secured a block of rooms at the Hyatt Santa Clara at the very reasonable rate of $109/night! This rate fizzles out on May 29th and is subject to availability. The Santa Clara Hyatt is convenient to San Jose International Airport, light rail, and other Silicon Valley attractions.

Watch for further emails from us. Tickets will be available to the general public starting in March. We look forward to seeing you this year at SETIcon II. It will be out of this world!

Sincerely,
The SETIcon II Event Team

For more information on SETIcon II: www.seticon.com
Questions?: seticon@seti.org

Copyright © 2012, SETI Institute

Weekend Sky Show

Source - Space Weather News for Feb. 24, 2012: http://spaceweather.com

WEEKEND SKY SHOW: This is a great weekend to watch the sun go down. Venus, Jupiter and the slender crescent Moon are lining up in the western sky, forming a bright triangle in the evening twilight. These three objects are so bright, they shine through thin clouds and even city lights.

Check http://spaceweather.com for observing tips, sky maps, and photos from around the world.

BACKYARD ASTRONOMY ALERTS: Would you like a call to remind you when planets are aligning over your home town? Backyard astronomy alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

Radiation Storm Hits Mars Rover, Curiosity OK

Source - NASA Science News for Feb. 24, 2012

En route to the Red Planet, Mars rover Curiosity has experienced the strongest solar radiation storm since 2005. Researchers say this is part of Curiosity's job as a 'stunt double' for human astronauts.

The full story can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/24feb_stuntdouble/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E99YYNN9EGQ

The Fireballs of February

Source - NASA Science News for Feb. 22, 2012

A number of unusual fireballs observed around the USA this month have researchers wondering if Earth is passing through a special "February swarm" of meteoroids.

FULL STORY: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/22feb_februaryfireballs/

Solar Eclipse in Space

Source - Space Weather News for Feb. 21, 2012: http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR ECLIPSE FROM SPACE: Earlier today the new Moon passed in front of the sun, producing a solar eclipse visible from space. High-resolution images of the event captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory are featured on the Feb. 21st edition of http://spaceweather.com.

Big Picture Science for 02/20/12 - Skeptic Check: Saucer's Apprentice

Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: Saucer's Apprentice

ENCORE They’re here! About one-third of all Americans believe we’re being visited by extraterrestrial spacecraft. But wait, you want evidence?

UFO sighting are as prevalent as flies at a picnic. But proof of visitation – well, that’s really alien.

Hear why belief in extraterrestrial UFOs persists … and why military sightings that “can’t be explained” don’t warrant rolling out a welcome mat for ET.

Plus, the most fab UFOs in the movies!

It’s Skeptic Check… but don’t take our word for it!
Guests:

• Phil Plait – Keeper of the skeptical website badastronomy.com
• Benjamin Radford – Research Fellow with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and managing editor of “Skeptical Inquirer Science Magazine”
• Leslie Kean – Journalist, and author of UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record
• Susan Clancy – Psychology Researcher, Harvard University
  and author of Abducted: How People Come to Believe They Were Kidnapped by Aliens
• Thomas Bullard – Folkorist at Indiana University and author of The Myth and Mystery of UFOs

First aired November 15, 2010.

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Skeptic_Check_Saucer_s_Apprentice

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

Auroras over the USA

Source - Space Weather News for Feb. 19, 2012: http://spaceweather.com

AURORA SURPRISE: A solar wind stream hit Earth's magnetic field on Feb. 18th, sparking a surprisingly widespread display of auroras. Northern Lights crossed the Canadian border and descended as far south as Nebraska in the United States. Photographs of the display and speculation about what made the solar wind impact so potent are featured on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Would you like a call when geomagnetic storms are in progress? Aurora alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

An Alignment of Planets in the Sunset Sky

Source - NASA Science News for Feb. 17, 2012

The brightest planets in the night sky are aligning for a must-see show in late February and March 2012. You can start looking tonight.

FULL STORY: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/17feb_winterplanets/

Companion ScienceCast video of this article is included below, and can also be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8br4JiFEik

Europe Hammered by Winter, Is North America Next?

Source - NASA Science News for Feb. 16, 2012

After a slow start to winter around much of the Northern Hemisphere, Europe recently plunged into a deep freeze. In today's story from Science@NASA, JPL climatologist Bill Patzert describes how Mother Nature has done an about face.

FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/16feb_deepfreeze/

A ScienceCast video related to this story is included below and is also available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdUa820fT1g

Big Picture Science for 02/13/12 - Aware am I?

Big Picture Science - Aware am I?

ENCORE Humans are pleasure-seekers – from food to sex to fine art. But do we know why we crave what we do? Discover the surprising motivation behind our desires. Also, why our hedonistic cousins, the bonobos, may hold the secret to world peace.

Plus, self-awareness in monkeys: can they really pass the mirror test? Can bacteria, for that matter? Nope! But since you are, cell for cell, more microbe than human, you’ll want to know just how cognitively aware these critters are.

Guests:

• Paul Bloom – Psychologist at Yale University and author of How Pleasure Works: The New Science of Why We Like What We Like
• Julie Neiworth – Psychologist, Carleton College
• Vanessa Woods – Research scientist at Duke University and author of Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo. Find out more about helping bonobos.
• Jim Shapiro – Bacterial geneticist, University of Chicago

First aired November 1, 2010.

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Aware_Am_I_

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

Alien Matter in the Solar System: A Galactic Mismatch

Source - NASA Science News for Feb. 10, 2012

"Alien matter" detected by a NASA spacecraft orbiting Earth shows that the chemical make-up of our solar system differs from that of the surrounding galaxy. Researchers discuss the possible meaning of this mismatch in today's story from Science@NASA.

FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/10feb_alienmatter/

A video version of this story is included below and is also available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krDQFFkB84I

Big Picture Science for 02/06/12 - Getting a Spacelift

Big Picture Science - Getting a Spacelift

I need my space… but oh, how to get there? Whether it’s a mission to Mars or an ascent to an asteroid, we explore the hows of human spaceflight. Also, the whys, as in, why send humans to the final frontier if robots are cheaper? Neil deGrasse Tyson weighs in.

Plus, the astronaut who lived on the ocean floor training for a visit to an asteroid. Also, the 100YSS – the 100 Year Starship project – and interstellar travel.

And, as private rockets nip at NASA’s heels, meet one of the first tourists to purchase a (pricey) ticket-to-ride into space.

Guests:

• Neil deGrasse Tyson – Astrophysicst, American Museum of Natural History, and author of Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier
  
• Shannon Walker – NASA astronaut
• Nathan J. Strange – Formulation system engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• C. C. Culver – Former NASA mission controller, and motivational speaker with International Stars. How to contact: internationalstars@comcast.net
• Marc Millis – Physicist who has been NASA’s foremost expert on advanced propulsion concepts and founder of the Tau Zero Foundation

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Getting_a_Spacelift

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

Mission to Land on a Comet

Source - NASA Science News for Feb. 2, 2012

Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft is en route to intercept a comet­--and to make history. In 2014, Rosetta will enter orbit around 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and land a probe on it for a front row seat as the comet heads toward the disintegrating heat of the sun.

FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/02feb_rosetta/

Below is a video version of this story which is also available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoePrO4-fGQ