Episode 35 - There is Here

Released: 13 February 2017
Duration:90 minutes, 38 seconds

Doug Vakoch

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In this episode we explore Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or METI, with METI.org President Douglas Vakoch and interdisciplinary artist Daniela de Paulis. Nick Nielsen joins us for a discussion of Daniela's new project Cogito - how do we send our thoughts into the cosmos?

Links:

The Pioneer Plaques
The Drake Arecibo Message

Dwingeloo Radio Observatory in the Netherlands

The Voyager Golden Record
METI.org Strategic Plan
The Zoo Hypothesis

Marvin Minsky: Communication with Alien Intelligence
Hans Freudenthal: LINCOS - Design of a Language for Cosmic Intercourse, part 1 (.pdf)

Daniela de Paulis on the Unseen Podcast
Project Cogito in Space
Dwingeloo Radio Observatory

Credits:

Host and Producer: Paul Carr
Co-hosts: Daniela de Paulis and Nick Nielsen
Music: DJ Spooky, George Hrab, Erika Llloyd
Voiceover: Erin Carr

The Wow! Signal podcast is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike license.

Episode 33 - Ben Montet Makes a Star Weirder

Released: 8 August 2016
Duration:47 minutes 44 seconds

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Ben Montet

Host Paul Carr talks to astronomer Ben Montet,who has, with his colleague Joshua Simon, just published the result that Tabby's Star (KIC 8462852) dimmed considerably over the four year course of the Kepler Space Telescope prime mission.

Guest Bio:

Ben Montet recently defended his Ph.D. at the California Institute of Technology, where his thesis work focused on understanding the properties of low-mass stars and their companions. During his thesis, he led teams which measured the occurrence rate of Jupiter-sized planets in wide orbits around low-mass stars, developed the first catalog of confirmed transiting planets from the K2 mission, and characterized the first non-inflated brown dwarf with a directly measured mass, radius, and atmospheric properties. In September, he will begin a Carl Sagan Fellowship at the University of Chicago.

Links:

Montet and Simon, KIC 8462852 Faded Throughout the Kepler Mission
Interview with Bradley Schaefer on Dimming of Tabby's Star
Boyajian, et. al., KIC 8462852 - Where's The Flux?
Interview with Tabetha "Tabby" Boyajian.

Aliens, perhaps, but not the Aliens of the Gaps.

Credits:

Host and Producer: Paul Carr
Announcer:Erin Carr
Music: DJ Spooky, Jason Robinson, Erika Lloyd

Episode 31 - Journey Into the World of Alien Hunting

Released: 22 June 2016
Duration: 41 minutes, 19 seconds

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SETI scientists featured in Earthling's Quest

Daniela De Paulis hosts a conversation with the team producing the crowdfunded feature-length SETI documentary Earthling's Quest, and one of the scientists profiled in the film, Douglas Vakoch. We urge you to consider contributing to the Kickstarter for this film.

• opening
• Daniela's intro
• introduction to the Earthling's Quest team: Alexander Ryneus and Per Bifrost (film co-directors), and Malla Grapengiesser (producer).
• Introduction of Douglas Vakoch
• Introduction on SETI and METI
• What is the focus of the documentary?
• Why is SETI so timely
• Possibilities of finding extraterrestrial intelligent life
• Why should we contact other life forms?
• Should we be afraid?
• closing remarks and discussion
• Brief announcements
• outro

The Earthling's Quest team

Links:

METI International
The SETI Institute
The Earthling's Quest Kickstarter

Our updated Team page

Credits:

Host: Daniela De Paulis
Producer: Paul Carr
Announcer: Erin Carr
Music: DJ Spooky, Erika Lloyd, George Hrab

Burst 13 - Tabby's Star for the Perplexed, Part 1

Released: 10 March 2016
Duration: 18 minutes, 1 second

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In Part 1, Paul Carr provides a non-technical explanation of why the star informally known as Tabby's Star (KIC 8462852) is so perplexing after all. What was observed, and why doesn't it fit a conventional explanation?

The Dips observed by Kepler, numbered

Links

Please see our companion blog post at Dream of the Open Channel.

Boyajian, et. al., Planet Hunters X - Where's the Flux? (aka B2015)

Planet Hunters
I'm not saying it was Aliens…
The Slow and Fast Dimming of Tabby's Star.

Credits

Written, Produced and Read by Paul Carr
Music by Jason Robinson

Episode 25 - Breakthrough Listen

Released: 21 September 2015
Duration: 56 minutes, 40 seconds

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Andrew Siemion

Paul Carr talks to UC Berkeley SETI scientist Andrew Siemion about the exciting new SETI initiative called Breakthrough Listen. He also answered questions on the Fast Radio Bursts and attempts to send a message to ET.

• Introduction and context
• Interview with Andrew Siemion on Breakthrough Listen
• Interview wrapup
• Begging and nagging
• Thanking Patreon Subscribers
• Outro

Links

The Unseen Podcast
Andrew Siemion on SETI at the Square Kilometer Array
Breakthrough Listen Announcement
Breakthrough Inititatives
SETI@Home
The Unseen Podcast on the Breakthrough Announcement
What About these Fast Radio Bursts?

Support Us on Patreon

Credits

Host and producer: Paul Carr
Additional questions for Dr. Siemion: Nick Nielsen, Adam "Synergy" Smith
Music: DJ Spooky, Erika Lloyd, George Hrab
Announcer: Erin Carr

Burst 2 - Through the Lens of the Drake Equation

Release Date: 7 December 2014

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In this short Wow! Signal Burst, Paul Carr talks us through where we are on the seven terms in the Drake Equation, which are more about what we don't know then what we know - so far.
Music: Elbow Grease by Jason Robinson

Calculating the Odds of Intelligent Alien Life (video narrated by Jill Tarter)
Confessions of an Alien Hunter by Seth Shostak
seti.org
Geoff Marcy on the third term in the Drake Equation
The Jaws of Darkness

Duncan Forgan on using the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) to eavesdrop on ET (free bonus audio content)

Release Date: 16 November 2014

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I interviewed Duncan Forgan in June of 2013 on multiple topics. I used part of this interview on asteroid mining in Season 1, Episode 8, and another part on the Fermi Paradox in Season 1, Episode 9. However, this relatively brief segment concerning SETI with the Square Kilometer Array remained without a home, and so we are releasing it as free bonus audio content. This won't appear on the RSS feed, but you can download it, or listen to it with the player above.

The discussion to this 2010 paper by Duncan Forgan and RC Nichol:

A Failure of Serendipity: the Square Kilometre Array will struggle to eavesdrop on Human-like ETI

Episode 10- the Serendipity Schema

Release Date: 11 August 2013

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Ben McGee

The final episode of Season 1 picks up the thread of Episode 5  - the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Artifacts, or SETA. If we find something that looks odd while exploring the solar system, how can we separate an authentic artifact from wishful thinking? If ET uses the internet to contact us, how could we be sure it was authentic?

We talk to scientist and space entrepreneur Ben McGee about his paper on Xenoarchaeology, or the search for ancient alien artifacts, and to Dr. H. Paul Shuch about the experimental website Invitation to ETI at ieti.org.

Music by Sleep Research Facility, Curlew, DJ Spooky, Ahleuchatistas and Jason Robinson.

The Wow! Signal Podcast podcasting seal of approval for this episode: Singularity 1-on-1 by Nikola Danaylov.

Links:

Download the .mp3 file

Dr. H. Paul Shuch, SETI Researcher

The Wow! Signal Podcast on iTunes
Episode 10 Script

Ben Wright McGee
Ben's paper on Xenoarchaeology
Ben's NatGeo blog.
Ben McGee on Twitter

Dr. H. Paul Shuch
Invitation to ETI
The SETI League

Episode 5 - Superior Galactic Communities

Nikola Danaylov

Doubt is a Core Value

Space Archaeology

Singularity 1-on-1 Podcast

Musical Contributors:

Curlew on Free Music Archives
Sleep Research Facility
DJ Spooky
Jason Robinson
Ahleuchatistas
Cuneiform Records

Season 1, Episode 10 of the Wow! Signal Podcast by Paul Carr is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://traffic.libsyn.com/wowsignal/Episode_10_-_The_Serendipity_Schema.mp3.

Episode 9 - Listening to the Silence

Released: 27 July 2013

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The Fermi Paradox, Part 2, with Universe Today's Fraser Cain and University of Edinburgh's Duncan Forgan.  Why, as far as we can tell, has the Earth not been colonized by superior alien civilizations?This question is called the Fermi Paradox, and it is a surprisingly difficult question to answer. We discuss just how strong the Fermi Paradox is, and the kind of research program it will take to resolve it.

The Wow! Signal Podcast podcasting seal of approval goes to: Penn's Sunday School.



Links:

Fraser Cain

Episode 2 - the Fermi Paradox with Geoffrey Landis

Universe Today

Duncan Forgan

Duncan Forgan et. al. , The Effect of Probe Dynamics on Galactic Exploration Timescales

Self Replicating Probes Could Already Be Here

The Kardashev Scale
Haldane's Law
Clarke's Third Law
The Fermi Paradox, Part 1 (blog entry)

The NASA Kepler Mission
Terrestrial Planet Finder

The Episode 9 Script

Penn's Sunday School

Duncan Forgan

The Music

Ahleuchatistas

DJ Spooky

Jason Robinson

John Baez and Mark Egan's Telesto
Cuneiform Records 

Episode 8 - Cosmik Debris

Release Date: 25 June 2013

Duncan Forgan

The topic for Episode 8 is asteroid mining - the prospects for asteroid mining by humans in our solar system and for detecting its traces should an ET civilization be doing it in a nearby planetary system.  I spoke to scientist Duncan Forgan, entrepreneur Isaac Stott, and Ben Wright McGee, who wears a lot of hats.

Of course, the title refers to a Frank Zappa song about a New Age charlatan, but as you will hear, I don't think asteroid mining is a con.  It's just that asteroids are - debris.

The fifth Wow! Signal Podcast podcasting seal of approval is awarded to: Sid Smith's Podcast from the Yellow Room.

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Isaac Stott

The Episode 8 script

Guests:

Dr. Duncan Forgan is a researcher at the University of Edinburgh.  His research interests include planetary system formation and theoretical SETI.

• Duncan Forgan and Martin Elvis, "Extrasolar Asteroid Mining as Forensic Evidence of Extraterrestrial Intelligence"

Isaac Stott is CEO of Stott Space, a company that aims to be the first to mine an asteroid.

• Stott's architecture for robotic asteroid mining

Ben Wright McGee is a scientist, writer and space entrepreneur

Ben Wright McGee

• Calling the Space Privateers.

Other Links

Planetary Resources
Deep Space Industries
Near Earth Object (NEO) Catalog
The Wow! Signal Podcast on iTunes

The Music

Ahleuchatistas
Jason Robinson
Mike Griffin
DJ Spooky






This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Episode 7 - My Dinner With Garthright

Release Date: 22 May 2013

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On May 11th 2013 I sat down in the hotel restaurant with Bing Garthright, a member of the National Capital Area Skeptics, to talk about his impressions of UFOCon

Bing Garthright

13 in Linthicum, Maryland.  This led to some interesting stories of his days as a NICAP UFO investigator in Maryland, and why he stopped investigating UFOs.  Bing makes  some measured - and often very positive -  comments about the speakers he had just heard.

The fourth Wow! Signal Podcast podcasting seal of approval for podcasts is awarded to: The Brain Science Podcast by Virginia Campbell.

Music by Ahleuchatistas and Jason Robinson.

Links:

The Episode:

Download the .mp3
Episode 7 Script

National Capital Area Skeptics
Aerial Phenomena Investigations
Episode 1 - Interview with Antonio Paris
The 1976 Brunswick, Maryland Case Report
History of NICAP
The FBI NICAP Correspondence
Alan Hendry's Book
Hypnagogia


Bill Murphy
John Alexander
Peter Resta
Physical Evidence in Case 2012-058

The Podcasting Seal of Approval

The Brain Science Podcast

Virginia Campbell, M.D.

The Music

Ahleuchatistas
Jason Robinson

Episode 6 - Conversation with an Alien Hunter

We talk to Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute about the past, present and future of the Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence.  Seth discussed why he doesn't think the Eerie Silence may be all that eerie, and his own optimism and doubts about detecting ET in the next generation or so.

We also award the third Wow! Signal podcast podcasting seal of approval to: the Weekly Weinersmith.  Music is mostly by Cuneiform artist Jason Robinson.

Links

Download the .mp3 file

The script for this episode
The SETI Institute
Donate to the SETI Institute
Big Picture Science
Seth's book: Confessions of an Alien Hunter
Seth Shostak on the last term in the Drake Equation (page 399)
A Google Hangout with Seth Shostak (video)
Carl Sagan explains the Drake Equation (video)

About the Wow! Signal
Is SETI Silly?
A review of Paul Davies' An Eerie Silence.
The Fermi Paradox with Geoffrey Landis

The Weekly Weinersmith

Subscribe to the Wow! Signal Podcast

The Music

Jason Robinson
Cuneiform Records

John Baez and Greg Egan's Telesto

Ahleuchatistas

Episode 4 - All the Lonely Planets

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A conversation about alien life with Dr. David Grinspoon, author of Lonely Planets.  We talked about

David Grinspoon

his career as an astrobiologist, about habitability of environments throughout the solar system from Venus to the moons of Saturn, a proposed Venus balloon, the Curiosity rover on Mars, his upcoming book, his band, and more.

We also play a little music by the House Band of the Universe, and introduce a new feature of the Wow! Signal podcast - the Wow! Signal Podcast Seal of Approval for Podcasting, the first of which goes to: Big Picture Science.

Links

Download the .mp3 file
Subscribe to the Wow! Signal Podcast

David Grinspoon's website, funkyscience.net
Lonely Planets - the Natural Philosophy of Alien Life
The Episode 4 Script

The Drake Equation (SETI Institute)
Carl Sagan on the Drake Equation (video)

Co-host this podcast
Be on the Podcast

Musical Contributors:

Jason Robinson
Ahleuchatistas
Cuneiform Records
George Hrab (via Meevio Music Alley)
Mike Griffin