In this episode of STEM to Stern, Chauntée and Jake dive into one of science’s biggest mysteries: the possibility of alien life … and whether it’s ever reached us here on Earth.
Jake, who holds a PhD in astrophysics, loves exploring big questions like this, even if they don’t have neat answers. He explains why the sheer size of the universe makes it likely that intelligent alien life does exist somewhere. But as for them visiting Earth? That’s a whole different challenge.
The distances between stars are unimaginably vast. For an alien species to reach us, they’d have to emerge not only close to our solar system in space, but also close to us in time.
Our planet’s billions of years old, and intelligent life has only existed here for a tiny sliver of that.
Jake shares why abduction stories and UFO sightings don’t convince him, but he’s still fascinated by the idea of connecting with another civilization. Chauntée offers a healthy reminder that science always leaves room for discovery. Just because we can’t do something now doesn’t mean we’ll never be able to. After all, time travel and warp drive sound wild … until an innovator invents one.
What do you think? Have aliens visited before? Will they visit in the future?
Listen in for a conversation about science, space, and the limits (or not!) of what’s possible.
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