After Life
b"This month\\u2019s episode is about what it would take to sterilize the Earth, and why you might want to figure that out in the first place.\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0First we talk to the authors of a paper that tries to figure out this exact question. David Sloan and Rafael Alves Batista are the authors of a paper called \\u201cThe Resilience of Life to Astrophysical Events\\u201d (along with Avi Loeb). No, they\\u2019re not evil scientists, just interested in what it might take to find life on other planets.\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0They explain their calculations, and how we mostly don\\u2019t have anything to worry about. Plus, cool facts about tardigrades!\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0Then we talk to science-fiction author N.K. Jemisin who is the author of The Broken Earth trilogy. Which is very good! She explains her thinking behind the books, why the Earth is out to get her characters, and how humans banding together to survive is more interesting to her than the lone ranger making it on his own.\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0Further reading:\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0What Would It Take to Completely Sterilize the Earth?\\n\\xa0The Resilience of Life to Astrophysical Events\\n\\xa0Did a gamma-ray burst initiate the late Ordovician mass extinction?\\n\\xa0NASA: Gamma-ray Bursts\\xa0\\n\\xa0Flash Forward: The Supernova Next Door\\xa0\\n\\xa0'The Fifth Season,' by N.K. \\xadJemisin\\n\\xa0N. K. Jemisin on Diversity in Science Fiction and Inspiration From Dreams\\n\\xa0The Tardigrade: Practically Invisible, Indestructible \\u2018Water Bears\\u2019\\n\\xa0Tardigrades return from the dead\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0Flash Forward is produced by me, Rose Eveleth. The intro music is by Asura and the outtro music is by Hussalonia. The episode art is by Matt Lubchansky.\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0If you want to suggest a future we should take on, send us a note on Twitter, Facebook or by email at info@flashforwardpod.com. We love hearing your ideas! And if you think you\\u2019ve spotted one of the little references I\\u2019ve hidden in the episode, email us there too. If you\\u2019re right, I\\u2019ll send you something cool.\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0And if you want to support the show, there are a few ways you can do that too! We have a Patreon page, where you can donate to the show. But if that\\u2019s not in the cards for you, you can head to iTunes and leave us a nice review or just tell your friends about us. Those things really do help.\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0That\\u2019s all for this future, come back next month and we\\u2019ll travel to a new one.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices"