Arguably humanity’s greatest question in the realms of science, philosophy, and religion, is, “Are we alone in the universe?” Our guest today has committed his life to the investigation of the possibility of life and intelligence beyond Earth. Bill Diamond is the President and CEO of the SETI Institute and, in this episode, he takes us behind the scenes of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. We learn about technological signatures and the definitive sign of life that the discovery of a techno signature would imply. Bill explains the Drake Equation and the way it informs the research conducted by the SETI Institute, and fills us in on the true purpose of the SETI endeavor. We discuss the question of evidence when searching for something that might well be beyond the human imagination, and how AI is being used to detect otherwise undetectable evidence. Tune in for everything from the importance of multidisciplinary science and funding basic research to citizen science programs, UFOs, and more.
Key Points From This Episode:
Fred Dust explains the notion of script spotting and the role of patterns in communication.
Introducing Bill Diamond, President and CEO of the SETI Institute.
A brief history of the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) endeavor.
The purpose of the SETI Institute and the notion it’s founded on.
What the Drake Equation is and why it’s a central part of SETI’s operations.
Why the SETI Institute studies life on Earth in its search for extraterrestrial life.
The wide range of potentially discoverable techno signatures.
The true purpose of the SETI endeavor.
The importance of basic scientific research.
The origin of Silicon Valley.
NASA’s three fundamental science questions.
The unlikelihood that we are alone in the universe.
The question of evidence in the mission to detect unknown life forms.
How AI is being used to detect evidence that might otherwise go undetected.
Why and how the SETI Institute embraces multidisciplinary science.
Why the institute doesn’t concern itself with unidentified aerial phenomena.
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