biosignatures

NASA’s Perseverance rover is currently collecting samples on the surface of Mars, and some of them will be coming to Earth—that is, if all goes well. NASA has a complex plan to bring bits of the Red Planet here, arriving in 2033, so scientists can study them to answer some burning questions. What’s the planet’s history? What is its dust like? And, are there any signs that life may have existed there? WSJ’s Alex Ossola speaks to Lindsay Hays, an astrobiologist at NASA and deputy lead scientist for the Mars Sample Return mission, about how this mission could help us better understand the history of our own planet and shape future missions to Mars and beyond. Further reading:  NASA Lands Perseverance Rover Safely on Mars After ‘Seven Minutes of Terror’  NASA Collects Mars Rock Samples in Historic First for Perseverance Rover  NASA’s Perseverance Rover Begins Its Search for Life on Mars  Mars Photos: See NASA’s Perseverance Rover’s First Visions of Red Planet   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are we alone in the universe? It's a question studied in science fiction, but also by teams here at NASA. Join us as we search for signs of life outside of Earth with scientists Aki Roberge, Ravi Kopparapu, and Shawn Domagal-Goldman.

Clara Sousa-Silva is a quantum astrochemist at Harvard. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Onnit: https://lexfridman.com/onnit to get up to 10% off - Grammarly: https://grammarly.com/lex to get 20% off premium - Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium - Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit EPISODE LINKS: Clara's Twitter: https://twitter.com/drphosphine Clara's Website: https://clarasousasilva.com PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (07:57) - Discovery of phosphine on Venus (20:34) - Phosphine gas (30:47) - Searching for molecular fingerprints (41:44) - What does a quantum astrochemist do? (56:48) - Spectroscopic networks (1:01:13) - Biosignature gases (1:04:06) - UFOs and aliens (1:17:24) - Alien civilizations (1:34:59) - Programming (1:42:15) - Why science is beautiful (1:46:07) - How to be productive (1:56:27) - Books (1:57:59) - Meaning of life