Are We Alone for 08/30/10 - Say What?

Are We Alone - Say What?

ENCORE There’s no escape from the chattering classes – they talk, squawk, squeal and sing all around us. Every animal communicates in some form – it’s essential for survival. They’ve evolved to understand each other … but do we understand them?

Find out what’s coded in humpback whale song and whether human-cetacean dialogue is possible… how information theory reveals communication patterns within the animal kingdom… how plants call out to animals to protect them… and why only humans evolved language.

Guests:

• Douglas Carlton Abrams – Author of Eye of the Whale: A Novel
• Laurance Doyle – Scientist at the SETI Institute
• Douglas Vakoch – Director of Interstellar Message Composition at the SETI Institute
• David DeGusta – Anthropologist at Stanford University

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

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.

And be sure to check out the Are We Alone iPhone/iPad app: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/are-we-alone-make-contact/id374968004?mt=8

Kepler Discovers Multiple Planets Transiting a Single Star

Source - NASA Science News for August 26, 2010

NASA's Kepler spacecraft has discovered two Saturn-sized planets transiting a single sun-like star. The same system might contain a third world--a hot "super-Earth" one and a half times the size of Earth. Researchers announced the results today at a NASA press conference.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/26aug_kepler/

The Mutating Mars Hoax

Source - NASA Science News for August 25, 2010

Warning: The Mars Hoax is back and it's trickier than ever. Read today's story from Science@NASA to find out what's really going to happen in the night sky on August 27th.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/25aug_marshoax/

Are We Alone for 08/23/10 - We've Got You Made

Are We Alone - We've Got You Made

Wish you could ditch computers? There’s no escape button for that. Computers are not only a part of your daily grind, they may soon be a part of you. We’ll hear from the world’s first cyborg about why we should make nice in our arms race with machines.

Also, the secret behind the extraordinary breakthroughs that DARPA scientists are making – from building autonomous cars to wiring robotic surgeons.

Plus, making space for humans… and their bodily functions: the engineering tricks of toiletry. And, a carbon-based astronaut on the view of Earth from orbit.

Guests:

• Kevin Warwick – Professor of Cybernetics at University of Reading in the U.K.
• Santiago Bilinkis – Student at the Singularity University
• Mary Roach – Writer and author of Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void
• Tom Jones – United States astronaut, space consultant, and veteran of four Space Shuttle flights
• Michael Belfiore – Space and Technology writer, and author of The Department of Mad Scientists: How DARPA Is Remaking Our World, from the Internet to Artificial Limbs

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

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.

And be sure to check out the Are We Alone iPhone/iPad app: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/are-we-alone-make-contact/id374968004?mt=8

Fireball on Jupiter

Source - Space Weather News for Aug. 22, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

FIREBALL ON JUPITER: An amateur astronomer in Japan has video-recorded a fireball on Jupiter. This marks the third time in only 13 months that amateur astronomers have detected signs of something hitting the giant planet. Will the latest impact leave behind a visible cloud of debris? Visit http://spaceweather.com for images and updates.

SPACE STATION and SPACE PLANE FLYBYS: This is a good week for satellite watchers in the USA and Canada. Both the International Space Station and the US Air Force X-37B space plane are making a series of favorable passes over North American towns and cities. The spacecraft are easy to find using our Simple Satellite Tracker--an app for iPhones and Android. Visit http://simpleflybys.com for downloads and more information.

Space Station Auroras

Source - Space Weather News for August 20, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

SPACE STATION AURORAS: With solar activity on the rise, August 2010 has been a good month for auroras. There have been sightings of Northern Lights as far south as Wisconsin and Iowa in the United States, and some fine displays of Southern Lights over Antarctica. Some of the best pictures so far have come from Earth orbit, where astronauts have a front-row seat for geomagnetic storms. Visit http://Spaceweather.com for latest images from the International Space Station.

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Would you like a call when geomagnetic storms erupt at your latitude? Sign up for Space Weather Phone: http://spaceweatherphone.com

Countdown to Vesta

Source - NASA Science News for August 19, 2010

NASA's Dawn spacecraft is now less than a year away from giant asteroid Vesta. Today's story from Science@NASA offers a sneak preview of an "alien, unexplored world" that seems sure to amaze.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/19aug_dawn2/

Are We Alone for 08/16/10 - Skeptic Check: Superstition

Are We Alone - Skeptic Check: Superstition

Wait! Before you step outside… is it Friday the 13th? Any black cats prowling around? Broken a mirror lately? Homo sapiens are a superstitious lot. Find out why our brains are wired for irrational belief. Plus, from the 2012-end-of-the-world prophesy to colliding planets – why some people believe the universe is out to get ‘em.

Also, Brains on Vacation takes on a challenge to relativity and our Hollywood skeptic has doubts about exorcism. It’s enough to make your head spin on Skeptic Check… but don’t take our word for it!

Guests:

• Bruce Hood – Cognitive scientist at the University of Bristol in the U.K. and author of The Science of Superstition: How the Developing Brain Creates Supernatural Beliefs
• David Morrison – Director of the Carl Sagan Center for The Study of Life in The Universe at the SETI Institute and keeper of the NASA website Ask an Astrobiologist
• Martin Snow – Research Scientist, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder
• Jim Underdown – Executive Director, Center for Inquiry, West – Los Angeles
• Phil Plait – Astronomer, keeper of badastronomy.com, and author of Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End . . .

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

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.

And be sure to check out the Are We Alone iPhone/iPad app: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/are-we-alone-make-contact/id374968004?mt=8

Japanese Spacecraft Approaches VenusJapanese Spacecraft Approaches Venus

Source - NASA Science News for August 16, 2010

A Japanese spacecraft named "Akatsuki" is approaching Venus on a mission that planetary scientists say could end up teaching us a great deal about our own planet Earth.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/16aug_vco/

Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight

Source - Space Weather News for August 12, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

PERSEID METEOR SHOWER: The annual Perseid meteor shower is underway. Earth is passing through a wide stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, and each time a fleck of comet dust hits Earth's atmosphere--flash!--there is a meteor. Forecasters say the shower will peak on Thursday, August 12th, and Friday, August 13th. You can see Perseids flitting across the sky at any time between about 10 pm on Thursday evening and sunrise on Friday morning. Observers who get away from city lights can expect to count dozens of meteors per hour, especially during the dark hours before dawn.

Tune into http://spaceweather.com for full coverage of the shower, including a live meteor radar, a "fireball cam," updated meteor counts and pictures from around the world.

BONUS: If you go outside a little early on Thursday evening, around sunset, you'll see a beautiful gathering of planets in the sunset sky--Venus, Mars, Saturn and the crescent Moon. It's a nice way to start a meteor watch. Sky maps may be found at http://spaceweather.com.

LOOKING FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION? Your cell phone can lead you right to it. Check out our field-tested satellite tracker for the iPhone and Android at http://simpleflybys.com.

Incoming CME could spark high-latitude auroras

Source - Space Weather News for August 9, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

INCOMING CME: The solar eruption of August 7th might affect Earth after all. Newly-arriving data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) show a CME heading our way with a significant Earth-directed component. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras when the cloud arrives on August 10th. A movie of the CME is featured on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com.

EARLY PERSEID METEORS: The Perseid meteor shower doesn't peak until August 12th, but already late-night sky watchers are seeing a nice display of shooting stars. Observers are counting as many as 20 Perseids per hour from dark sky sites, a number that could increase 3- to 5-fold before the week is over. Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information.

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Would you like a call when geomagnetic storms erupt at your latitude? Sign up for Space Weather Phone: http://spaceweatherphone.com

Solar Blast Just Misses Earth

Source - Space Weather News for August 8, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR BLAST JUST MISSES EARTH: On Saturday, August 7th, magnetic fields around sunspot 1093 erupted. NASA spacecraft and many amateur astronomers photographed the blast, which produced a strong M1-class solar flare and hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space--apparently just missing the sun-Earth line. The explosion also made whooshing sounds in the loudspeakers of some shortwave radios. Visit http://spaceweather.com for audio recordings and movies of this latest solar event.

AURORA RECAP: Last week's geomagnetic storm sparked Northern Lights as far south as Iowa in the United States, and some nice Southern Lights over Antarctica. For the latest images, start browsing here: http://www.spaceweather.com/aurora/gallery_01aug10_page4.htm

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Would you like a call when geomagnetic storms erupt at your latitude? Sign up for Space Weather Phone: http://spaceweatherphone.com

Are We Alone for 08/09/10 - Rxs Get Personal

Are We Alone - Rxs Get Personal

ENCORE Medicine’s back.. and this time it’s personal. Get ready to have your genome read… your brain scanned… and undergo a chemical analysis so detailed, it’ll reveal the Twinkie you had for lunch. Everyone’s different, and reading those differences at the level of the gene may provide a more accurate profile of health and how to treat disease. But are you ready to know what’s wrong with you?

Discover the future of personalized medicine with biologist Craig Venter, as well as a man who turned his body over to the new science. Learn what his tests revealed.

Plus, why stem cell research really is a horse race. And, why getting sick is sometimes the best thing.

Guests:

• Craig Venter – Genome scientist
• Frank McCormick – Director of the Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, San Francisco
• David Ewing Duncan – Journalist and author of Experimental Man: What One Man’s Body Reveals about His Future, Your Health, and Our Toxic World
• Sharon Moalem – Neurogeneticist and Evolutionary Biologist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and author of Survival of the Sickest
• Sean Owens – Director of the Regenerative Medicine Laboratory at the University of California, Davis
• Julie Burges – Animal Health Technician, Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, University of California, Davis

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

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.

And be sure to check out the Are We Alone iPhone/iPad app: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/are-we-alone-make-contact/id374968004?mt=8

Planets Align for the Perseid Meteor Shower

Source - NASA Science News for August 5, 2010

Mark your calendar: On Thursday, August 12th, an alignment of planets in the sunset sky will kick off the finest meteor shower of 2010, the Perseids.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/05aug_perseids/

CME impact sparks geomagnetic storm

Source - Space Weather News for August 3, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

CME IMPACT: As expected, a coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth's magnetic field on August 3rd. The impact, which occurred around 1730 UT, sparked a polar geomagnetic storm. At the time that this alert is being written, sky watchers in Europe as far south as Germany are reporting red and green Northern Lights. If the storm sustains itself for a few more hours, people in North America might see a similar display. Sky watchers in Alaska, Canada, and northern-tier US states such as Wisconsin, Minnesota and Maine should be alert for auroras.

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Would you like a call when geomagnetic storms erupt at your latitude? Sign up for Space Weather Phone: http://spaceweatherphone.com