Big Picture Science for Aug 26, 2024 - Life in the Solar System

Big Picture Science - Life in the Solar System

REPEAT
Spewing lava and belching noxious fumes, volcanoes seem hostile to biology. But the search for life off-Earth includes the hunt for these hotheads on other moons and planets, and we tour some of the most imposing volcanoes in the Solar System.

Plus, a look at how tectonic forces reshape bodies from the moon to Venus to Earth. And a journey to the center of our planet reveals a surprising layer of material at the core-mantle boundary. Find out where this layer was at the time of the dinosaurs and what powerful forces drove it deep below.

Guests:

• Samantha Hansen – Geologist at the University of Alabama
• Paul Byrne – Associate professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis
• Robin George Andrews – Science journalist and author of “Super Volcanoes: What They Reveal about Earth and the Worlds Beyond”

This repeat podcast originally aired on May 29, 2023

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/life-in-the-solar-system

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New Evidence for Liquid Water on Europa

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 16, 2011:

Scientists studying data from NASA's Galileo probe have found evidence for a body of liquid water the volume of the North American Great Lakes locked inside the icy shell of Jupiter’s moon Europa. The finding could have significant implications for the search for life beyond Earth.

FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/16nov_europa/

Are We Alone for 11/23/09 - Carbon Your Enthusiasm

Are We Alone - Carbon Your Enthusiasm

Bond it to oxygen and it’s the scourge of climate change. But earthly life wouldn’t be possible without carbon, and maybe that’s true for alien life, too.

And carbon has other exciting forms: tiny diamonds may be evidence of a catastrophic comet impact 13,000 years ago. And, chalky carbonates may point to a once-habitable Mars.

So get cozy with carbon. Find out if you could swap it for silicon in DNA. Plus, the conundrum of calculating a carbon footprint.

Guests

• Allen West – Retired Geophysicist
• Bethany Ehlmann – Geologist, Brown Unviversity
• Michael Mumma – Planetary scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• John Murlis – Chief Scientific Advisor to the Carbon Neutral Company in the U.K.
• Steven Benner – Molecular Biologist, Founder of the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution

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.