Big Picture Science - Some Like It Cold
We all may prefer the goldilocks zone – not too hot, not too cold.
But most of the universe is bitterly cold. We can learn a lot about it
if we’re willing to brave a temperature drop.
A chilly Arctic island is the closest thing to Mars-on-Earth for
scientists who want to go to the Red Planet. Meanwhile, the ice sheet at
the South Pole is ideal for catching neutrinos – ghostly particles that
may reveal secrets about the nature of the universe.
Comet
ISON is comet ice-off after its passage close to the Sun, but it’s still giving us the word on solar system’s earliest years.
Also, scientists discover the coldest spot on Earth. A champion
chill, but positively balmy compared to absolute zero. Why reaching a
temperature of absolute zero is impossible, although we’ve gotten very,
very close.
Guests:
- Francis Halzen – Physicist, University of Wisconsin-Madison, principal investigator of The IceCube Neutrino Observatory
- Ted Scambos – Glaciologist, lead scientist, National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado
- Pascal Lee – Planetary scientist, SETI Institute, director, NASA Haughton-Mars Project, and co-founder of the Mars Society. His new book is Mission: Mars
- Andrew Fraknoi – Chair, astronomy department, Foothill College
- Vladan Vuletić – Physicist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Permalink:
http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Some_Like_It_ColdYou
can listen to this and other episodes at
http://radio.seti.org/, and
be sure to check out
Blog Picture Science,
the companion blog to the radio show.