In a previous episode, I spoke about the Drake equation and the odds of there being intelligent extraterrestrial life. Many people have used the Drake equation to argue that it is almost impossible for there not to be intelligent life in our galaxy.
However, in the summer of 1950, physicist Enrico Fermi pushed back against this by asking a very simple ques ... Show More
Today
Cotton: How It Helped Build The Modern World
It is soft, common, and something most people wear almost every day. Yet behind this humble fabric lies one of the most dramatic stories in human history. Cotton connected ancient civilizations, built global trade networks, fueled the Industrial Revolution, enriched empires, and ... Show More
14m 31s
Yesterday
The World's Oddest Riots
Most riots are born from serious grievances: politics, poverty, religion, or oppression. Yet history is also filled with eruptions of violence that began for reasons so strange, so unexpected, and so absurd that they almost defy belief. Some changed cities, some embarrassed gover ... Show More
14m 21s
Apr 25
Jakob Fugger: The Richest Man in History
When you think of the richest people in history, you usually imagine kings, emperors, or maybe modern tech billionaires. Yet 500 years ago, one merchant banker from Augsburg may have been wealthier than all of them. He financed emperors, influenced papal politics, controlled vita ... Show More
15m 7s
Dec 2016
295 TMD What Is the Probability that Alien Life Exists?
Are we alone in the universe? If so, why? If not, where is everybody? Thankfully, math can help us with these astronomically profound questions. Keep on listening to learn all about the probability of extraterrestrial life. Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2isqx83 Hos ... Show More
11m 4s
Jun 2021
#252 — Are We Alone in the Universe?
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sam Harris speaks with Neil deGrasse Tyson about our place in the universe. They discuss our current understanding of extra-solar planets, the prospect that there is complex life elsewhere in the galaxy, the Fermi problem, the possibility that a ... Show More
52m 6s
May 2019
Will we ever find alien life?
3/6 In this instalment of The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry, Hannah and Adam boldly go in search of scientists who are hunting for ET, spurred on by questions sent in by listeners across the globe, from Australia to Columbia. They start by asking how we define life and why we ... Show More
27m 29s