Episode 538: Searching For The Red Edge. How The Earth's Forests Are Telling The Aliens Where We Live
People are always worried that alien civilizations will detect the transmissions from our old radio shows and television broadcasts, and send in the invasion fleet. But the reality is that life itself has been broadcasting the existence of life on Earth for 500 million years.
\n\nBlame it on the plants.
\n\nIn addition to filling the atmosphere with oxygen, plants give off a very specific wavelength visible in infrared radiation. It\u2019s the kind of signal that other civilizations could search for as they\u2019re scanning the galaxy.
\n\nIt\u2019s what we\u2019ll be looking for too.
\n\nBut don\u2019t just blame the plants. Other forms of life have been giving off signals too, signals we can search for as we discover new exoplanets and wonder if they have life there.
\n\nInformation on ESA's ARIEL mission
\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCTGIxmM-e4
Audio Podcast version:
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Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
\nKarla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
\nChad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com
References:
\nhttps://www.nature.com/articles/365715a0.pdf
\nhttps://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/03/asteroid-bound-spacecraft-finds-signs-life-earth
\nhttps://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1907/1907.05245.pdf
\nhttps://news.cornell.edu/stories/2019/07/exoplanet-evolution-astronomers-expand-cosmic-cheat-sheet
\nhttps://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~kchance/EPS238-2014/refdata/Seager-red-edge-2005.pdf
\nhttps://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1905/
\nhttps://arielmission.space/
\nhttps://www.astrobio.net/news-exclusive/earthshine/