Seth Shostak is an astronomer, alien hunter and bulwark of good, exciting science.
Why you should listen
Seth Shostak is the Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. Inspired by a book about the solar system he read at the age of ten, he began his career with a degree in physics from Princeton University and a PhD in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology before working with radio telescopes in the US and the Netherlands to uncover how the universe will end. In 1999, he produced twelve 30-minute lectures on audio-tape and video titled "The Search for Intelligent Life in Space" for the Teaching Company and has hosted SETI’s Big Picture Science podcast since 2002. In 2010, he was elected as a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and is the Chair of the International Academy of Astronautics SETI Permanent Study Group. He has published four books, nearly 300 popular articles on astronomy, technology, film and television and gives frequent talks to both young and adult audiences.
Seth Shostak’s TED Talk
More news and ideas from Seth Shostak
In Conversation
Contact with aliens by 2036? Astronomer Seth Shostak wants to believe — and does
February 26, 2019
Astrophysicist and astronomer Seth Shostak made a daring bet in his 2012 TED Talk: We’ll find extraterrestrial life within 24 years or he’ll buy you a cup of coffee. This isn’t just wishful thinking — technological advances over the past few decades have amplified the scope of space exploration monumentally, allowing us to search the […]
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Tiq Milan talks to Netflix, the determined search for aliens, and other TED news
July 13, 2018
As usual, the TED community is bursting with new projects and discoveries. Here are a few highlights. The power of representation. Writer and trans activist Tiq Milan, at left in the photo above, was interviewed for a new initiative by Netflix and GLAAD called “First Time I Saw Me.” Alongside Elliot Fletcher, Jamie Clayton, Jazz […]
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