logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2024
21m 25s

Could we really live on Mars?

The Guardian
About this episode
Space-settling enthusiasts have long had an eye on Mars, and now they have the backing of the world’s richest man. Elon Musk recently claimed that humans could be on the planet by 2030 and be living there in a self-sustaining city within 20 years. But is it really that simple? Madeleine Finlay heads to Imperial College London where Prof Sanjeev Gupta gives h ... Show More
Up next
Today
There’s a quick way to slow climate change. Why isn’t everyone doing it?
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that traps more than 80 times as much heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period and causes 25% of global heating today. We definitely don’t want this gas spewing needlessly into the atmosphere, but in 2023 that’s exactly what environment ed ... Show More
13m 47s
Sep 1
Could humans ever communicate with whales?
Ever since the earliest known recording of whale song was made in 1949, researchers have been captivated by the wails, rumbles, clicks, grunts and squeals of their communication. As technology improves, scientists are decoding the intricate patterns that make different species’ v ... Show More
17m 23s
Aug 27
Everyone hates datacentres. Do we really need them?
AI companies have promised us world-shifting technology. But there’s a cost: loud, unsightly datacentres that drain environmental resources. As the government pushes their rapid growth, can local communities do anything to push back? Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s glob ... Show More
16m 55s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2023
How to build the first city on Mars
The notion of human beings getting to and settling on Mars has been a staple of science fiction for decades. But what are the social, scientific, and engineering constraints for establishing a colony, and what are the current blueprint and design concepts for the settlement of an ... Show More
38m 32s
Aug 2018
Is there life on Mars?
<p>It’s the central question for the current generation of Mars missions. Since the first close-up pictures of the red planet back in 1965, decades of space missions have revealed our neighbouring planet to be cold, rocky and sterile. But there are hints of a more dramatic past; ... Show More
27m 40s
Apr 2021
The Martian Mission
What would it take for humans to live permanently on Mars? asks Martin in Weston-super-Mare, UK. The doctors dig into requirements and possibilities of a long-term Martian outpost. We know that many missions to Mars have failed, for a range of reasons – malfunctions, crashes and ... Show More
27m 30s
Aug 2023
Mars Life Explorer: The search for extant life on the red planet
<p>Many missions are working to understand Mars' past habitability, but could there still be microbial life on the red planet today? This week on Planetary Radio, we discuss the proposed Mars Life Explorer mission with Amy Williams, assistant professor of geology at the Universit ... Show More
57m 43s
Feb 2023
Mars Ep. 7: Live Like a Martian
Scientists at NASA’s Johnson Space Center share what it will take for humans to live on a multi-year journey to, on, and from Mars. HWHAP Episode 276. 
1h 2m
May 2018
Who's Going to Put a Colony on Mars First?
<p>The Space Race is on! With Elon Musk, NASA and plenty of other countries all hustling to get to Mars, just how long will it actually us to get there? And how hard will it be to build a space civilization? From sucking oxygen from the soil to 3D printing villages to the Dutch r ... Show More
38m 46s
Oct 2025
Coming soon from Tech Tonic: Mission to Mars
US President Donald Trump has pledged to “plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars”, China could send its first crewed mission to Mars within a decade, and Elon Musk wants people to actually settle on Mars, transforming the human race into an interplanetary species. In a ne ... Show More
1m 40s
Oct 2024
Living on Mars
tail spinning
20m 52s