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[music playing]

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- THIS IS REALLY A GREAT HONOR
TO INTRODUCE TODAY'S TALK.

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SOME OF YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED

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THERE'S BEEN A LOT
OF TALKS ABOUT--

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YOU KNOW, OTHER STAR SYSTEMS,
AND BIOLOGY, AND SO ON.

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THAT'S COMPLETELY DELIBERATE
ON THE PART OF JACOB COHEN'S...

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[laughs]

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YOU KNOW, BACKGROUND.

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BUT ALSO I THINK IT'S REALLY
WHERE THE FUTURE IS.

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AND AS NOTED BEFORE,

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THIS IS PART OF OUR
75th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION.

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THE COLLOQUIUM SERIES
THIS SUMMER

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IS IN HONOR OF OUR
75th ANNIVERSARY.

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BUT I AM PARTICULARLY PLEASED
TODAY TO HAVE DR. JILL TARTER.

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SHE HAS DEVOTED HER CAREER
SEARCHING FOR EVIDENCE

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FOR SENTIENT BEINGS
OFF EARTH.

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THERE ARE OTHERS
WHO HAVE SPENT THEIR WHOLE LIFE

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SEARCHING FOR THEM ON EARTH.

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MOST OF THEM FAILED.

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BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS,

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THAT SHE HAS CHANGED
OUR WAY OF THINKING ABOUT THIS.

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HER ASTRONOMICAL WORK
IS ILLUSTRATED

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IN CARL SAGAN'S NOVEL
"CONTACT"

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AND THE FILM VERSION
OF "CONTACT."

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AND WE UNDERSTAND
THAT JODI FOSTER'S CHARACTER

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WAS LARGELY INSPIRED
BY JILL.

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SO, THE--I THINK
SHE'S MUCH COOLER.

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JILL IS.

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[laughs]

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- [woman speaks indistinctly]
- YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT.

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ASTEROID 74824 TARTER
(1999 TJ16)

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HAS BEEN NAMED IN HER HONOR.

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NOW, I HAVE TO SAY
A STORY ABOUT IT.

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SOMEBODY WANTED TO NAME
AN ASTEROID AFTER ME.

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[laughs]

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AND THEY SUBMITTED IT.

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AND I WAS A GENERAL
IN THE AIR FORCE AT THE TIME.

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WELL, IT TURNS OUT THAT THE
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION

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WON'T ALLOW THINGS BEING NAMED
AFTER MILITARY FIGURES

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OR POLITICAL FIGURES.

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AND NOT BEING A POLITICAL FIGURE
THEY USED MILITARY FIGURE.

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SO THEY NAMED IT
AFTER MY WIFE.

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WHEN I TOLD HER ABOUT IT,
SHE SAID,

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"WELL, I'M SURE THAT'LL BE THE
ONE THAT DESTROYS THE EARTH."

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[laughter]

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BUT JILL HOLDS
THE BERNARD M. OLIVER CHAIR

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FOR SETI AT THE SETI
INSTITUTE IN MOUNTAIN VIEW,

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JUST DOWN THE ROAD HERE.

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AND SHE SERVES
ON THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

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WE COLLABORATE HERE AT AMES
VERY CLOSELY WITH SOFIA,

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AND THEY HAVE BEEN
THE PRINCIPLE PARTNER

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IN THE SCIENCE
AND ALL-SEASON TEAM

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FOR SOFIA AND KEPLER.

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SO REALLY, REALLY PROUD
OF HAVING THAT.

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IN 2004 "TIME" MAGAZINE
NAMED HER

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AS ONE OF THE 100 MOST
INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.

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PRETTY COOL, HUH?

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AND IN 2012,
WAS ONE OF THE 25

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MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE
IN SPACE.

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SHE HAS A BACHELOR OF
ENGINEERING DEGREE IN PHYSICS

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FROM CORNELL UNIVERSITY,

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AND I UNDERSTAND SHE WAS
THE ONLY WOMAN

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IN A CLASS OF 300 ENGINEERING
STUDENTS, SO CONGRATULATIONS.

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I HOPE THAT'S MUCH BETTER NOW.

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AND A PhD IN ASTRONOMY

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FROM THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY.

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HER TALK TODAY IS ENTITLED
"SEARCHING FOR E.T.:

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AN INVESTMENT
IN OUR LONG FUTURE."

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JILL? WELCOME BACK.

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[applause]

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- WELL, PETE, I THINK YOU KNOW
HOW MUCH OF A PLEASURE IT IS

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FOR ME TO BE BACK HERE,
SINCE THIS WAS MY FIRST JOB

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AS A POSTDOC,
WAS AT NASA AMES.

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AND WE WERE WORKING
ON BROWN DWARVES BACK THEN.

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THEY'VE BEEN FOUND.
- YUP.

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- E.T. HAS YET TO HAPPEN.

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SO I THINK MANY OF YOU
MAY THINK

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WHEN YOU HEAR
THE WORD "SETI,"

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YOU MAY THINK,
"OH, THAT'S FRINGE."

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OH, YOU'LL LAUGH TO YOURSELVES
ABOUT LITTLE GREEN MEN

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AND FLYING SAUCERS, UFOs.

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BUT IN FACT I'M GOING TO TRY
TODAY TO CONVINCE YOU

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THAT SETI, THE SEARCH,

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AND ALL THE WORK THAT GETS DONE
HERE AT AMES

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SEARCHING FOR OTHER
KINDS OF LIFE

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IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT
TO OUR FUTURE,

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BECAUSE THESE TOPICS
ALLOW US

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TO CHANGE PERSPECTIVE.

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THEY ALLOW US
TO THINK ABOUT THINGS

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AND TO SEE OURSELVES
IN A WAY

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THAT IS NOT OFTEN USED
BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

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BUT I THINK IT'S SOMETHING
THAT WE NEED TO SHARE WITH THEM,

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BECAUSE BEING ABLE
TO STEP BACK,

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TAKE THIS COSMIC
LARGER PICTURE VIEW

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IS WHAT WE NEED TO DO
IN ORDER TO SOLVE

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ALL OF THE CHALLENGES
THAT FACE THE PLANET

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AND ALL LIFE ON IT.

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AND SO I HOPE THAT I CAN CHANGE
YOUR POINT OF VIEW,

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AND I HOPE THAT YOU'LL GET
INTERESTED

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IN PARTICIPATING
IN THESE GRAND SEARCHES.

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SO, THIS WHOLE STORY--

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SORT OF YOUR STORY,
MY STORY, OUR STORY,

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BEGAN BILLIONS
OF YEARS AGO, RIGHT?

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THAT'S NO SECRET TO ANYONE

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WHO'S TAKEN A UNIVERSITY
ASTRONOMY COURSE,

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OR ANYONE WHO'S WORKED
AROUND THIS FACILITY.

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BUT IT...

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IT PROBABLY DOESN'T COME

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FIRST TO YOUR MIND
WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING.

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YOU NEED TO CHANGE THAT,
ALL RIGHT?

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SO, UM, OUR UNIVERSE BEGAN

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IN AN ENORMOUS EXPANSION

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ABOUT 3.8 BILLION
YEARS AGO.

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AND OUR MILKY WAY GALAXY WAS
BORN ABOUT 10 BILLION YEARS AGO.

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AND WE ARE INTIMATELY CONNECTED
WITH THESE FARAWAY TIMES

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AND FARAWAY PLACES,

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BECAUSE IT TAKES A COSMOS
TO MAKE A HUMAN.

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HUMANS CAN TRACE
THEIR LINEAGE

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NOT JUST BACK THROUGH THE
CENTURIES OF OUR OWN FAMILIES,

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NOT JUST BACK THROUGH THE
MILLENNIA OF OUR CIVILIZATIONS,

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WITH ITS BUILDINGS,
ITS ART AND ITS EXPERIMENTS

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WITH DIFFERENT FORMS
OF GOVERNANCE.

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WE TRACE OUR HERITAGE NOT JUST
BACK TO THE MILLIONS OF YEARS...

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SINCE WE EMERGED,
BRANCHED AWAY FROM THE APES.

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NOT JUST BACK
THE 2.4 BILLION YEARS

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DURING WHICH EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE
HAS BEEN PERFUSED WITH OXYGEN,

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THANKS TO THE CEASELESS EFFORTS
OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC CYANOBACTERIA.

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NOT JUST BACK TO THE FORMATION
OF THE SUN AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM,

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ABOUT 5 BILLION YEARS AGO.

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BUT ALL THE WAY BACK

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TO THE SUPERNOVA
EXPLOSION

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AND DEATH OF A MASSIVE STAR.

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THE IRON ATOMS IN THE HEMOGLOBIN
MOLECULES IN YOUR BLOOD,

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THE CALCIUM ATOMS
IN YOUR BONES,

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WERE FUSED DEEP WITHIN
A MASSIVE STAR

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THAT ENDED ITS LIFE
IN A CATASTROPHIC CONVULSION,

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LEAVING BEHIND REMNANTS,

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SUCH AS THIS MORE
MODERN EXAMPLE.

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REMNANTS THAT ARE NOW WAITING
TO BE INCORPORATED

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INTO FUTURE GENERATIONS
OF STARS AND PLANETS,

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AND PERHAPS LIFE.

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SO IT'S TAKEN MILLENNIA
FOR HUMANS TO PIECE TOGETHER

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THE STORY THUS FAR.

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AND WE'RE CONTINUING
ON THIS JOURNEY,

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DRIVEN BY OUR CURIOSITY

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AND OUR DESIRE
TO UNDERSTAND,

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TO KNOW OUR PLACE
IN THE UNIVERSE.

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WE WANT TO KNOW,
WHERE DO WE COME FROM?

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WHERE ARE WE GOING?

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WHAT IS? WHY IS?

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AND, OF COURSE,
WE'RE REALLY INTERESTED

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IN WHETHER OR NOT
THERE'S ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE.

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SO, SO FAR THE NUMBERS SUGGEST
A UNIVERSE OF POSSIBILITIES.

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WOW, THIS CLICKER IS A LITTLE
BIT JET-LAGGED.

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OKAY...

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SO LET'S DO IT THIS WAY.

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AND RIGHT NOW,

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WE'RE ABLE TO COMPREHEND
OURSELVES AS LIVING

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ON A VERY FRAGILE ISLAND
OF LIFE

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WITHIN THIS UNIVERSE
OF POSSIBILITIES.

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WE'RE JUST BEGINNING
TO APPRECIATE

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THE POSSIBILITIES
HERE ON EARTH,

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THE POSSIBILITIES
FOR OUR FUTURE.

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AND THOSE POSSIBILITIES
REQUIRE EMBRACING

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THIS COSMIC PERSPECTIVE.

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SO, EXTREMOPHILES,

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SOMETHING THAT MANY OF YOU HERE
ARE FAMILIAR WITH.

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IT'S LIFE THAT WE DIDN'T
EVEN KNOW ABOUT

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UNTIL A FEW DECADES AGO,

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THRIVING IN PLACES
THAT WE ONCE THOUGHT

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WERE COMPLETELY
INHOSPITABLE TO LIFE.

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AND THESE ORGANISMS
ARE NOW ILLUMINATING

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THE POTENTIAL FOR LIFE
ELSEWHERE.

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AND THE POSSIBILITY
FOR A LOT MORE HABITABLE

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COSMIC REAL ESTATE OUT THERE
THAN WE ONCE MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT.

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SO AN APPRECIATION
OF LIFE'S INCREDIBLE DIVERSITY

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AND ITS SCALE
IS REALLY THE FIRST STEP

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IN CONTEMPLATING THE UNIVERSE
BEYOND OUR OWN COSMIC DOORSTEP.

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IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER
THAT WE ARE NOT THE PINNACLE

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OR THE ULTIMATE DESIGN
OF EVOLUTION.

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WE'RE NOT THE INTENTIONAL
PRODUCT OF 4 BILLION YEARS

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00:09:55,233 --> 00:09:58,100
OF PLOTTING AND PLANNING.

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WE'RE SIMPLY A PART
OF TODAY'S SNAPSHOT

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00:10:03,766 --> 00:10:07,000
OF A PERPETUALLY
TRANSITIONAL FORM.

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SO AS WE PRY OPEN
THOSE COSMIC DOORS,

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WE'RE TESTING
THESE POSSIBILITIES.

187
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AND THIS AMAZING IMAGE--

188
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ABSOLUTELY MIND-BLOWING IMAGE

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IS THANKS TO THE CURIOSITY
SCIENCE LABORATORY ON MARS.

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CURIOSITY WASN'T DESIGNED
TO FIND LIFE.

191
00:10:27,700 --> 00:10:29,733
BUT IT'S SHOWING US

192
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THAT THE CONDITIONS
THAT WE THINK

193
00:10:33,100 --> 00:10:35,700
ARE NECESSARY FOR LIFE

194
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DID EXIST
ON THIS PLANET ONCE.

195
00:10:38,166 --> 00:10:41,766
AND PERHAPS THEY STILL
EXIST IN PLACES TODAY,

196
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BURIED BENEATH THE SURFACE
OF THIS FROZEN DESERT.

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ALTERNATELY, LIFE MAY BE FOUND
FARTHER OUT IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

198
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IN THE WATER OCEANS
BENEATH THE ICE OF EUROPA,

199
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CALLISTO, GANYMEDE,
RIGHT?

200
00:11:00,133 --> 00:11:02,200
THESE LARGE MOONS
OF JUPITER.

201
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OR MAYBE
IN THE ETHANE LAKES

202
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ON THE SURFACE OF SATURN'S
LARGE MOON, TITAN.

203
00:11:08,233 --> 00:11:13,033
OR EVEN, PERHAPS, ON A TINY
LITTLE MOON, ENCELADUS,

204
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WITH ITS AMAZING
CRYOVOLCANOES.

205
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AND THESE PLACES

206
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ARE PLACES THAT WE
OR OUR SURROGATES

207
00:11:25,266 --> 00:11:28,166
MAY VISIT IN THE FUTURE.

208
00:11:28,166 --> 00:11:31,400
AND MAY BE ABLE TO INTERROGATE,

209
00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:34,666
LOOKING FOR LIFE.

210
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BUT IT ALSO
MAY BE THE CASE

211
00:11:37,266 --> 00:11:41,666
THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK FARTHER,
BEYOND OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM.

212
00:11:43,633 --> 00:11:47,100
AND UNTIL 1995,

213
00:11:47,100 --> 00:11:51,233
WE ACTUALLY DIDN'T KNOW
WHETHER THERE WERE ANY PLANETS

214
00:11:51,233 --> 00:11:54,766
AROUND SOLAR-TYPE
NORMAL STARS.

215
00:11:54,766 --> 00:11:57,000
BUT SINCE MARCH OF 2009,

216
00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:58,566
THE KEPLER SPACECRAFT,

217
00:11:58,566 --> 00:12:02,500
WITH WHICH THIS FACILITY
IS SO HEAVILY INVOLVED

218
00:12:02,500 --> 00:12:06,233
AND SO RESPONSIBLE
FOR ITS SUCCESS,

219
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KEPLER'S BEEN FOLLOWING
BEHIND THE EARTH

220
00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:12,800
IN ITS ORBIT
AROUND THE SUN...

221
00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:16,700
AND ITS MISSION
IS TO TELL US

222
00:12:16,700 --> 00:12:21,500
HOW FREQUENTLY PLANETS
THE SIZE OF THE EARTH

223
00:12:21,500 --> 00:12:25,366
ACTUALLY FORM
AROUND OTHER STARS.

224
00:12:25,366 --> 00:12:28,533
SO KEPLER HAS
A 93-MEGAPIXEL CAMERA.

225
00:12:28,533 --> 00:12:30,366
C.C.D. CAMERA.

226
00:12:30,366 --> 00:12:33,833
REAL HIGH-END VERSION
OF WHAT YOU HAVE ON YOUR PHONES.

227
00:12:33,833 --> 00:12:39,566
AND IT STARES CONTINUOUSLY AT
100 SQUARE DEGREES ON THE SKY.

228
00:12:39,566 --> 00:12:42,966
AND IT'S IN THE DIRECTION
THAT'S JUST A BIT NORTH

229
00:12:42,966 --> 00:12:45,666
OF THE PLANE
OF THE MILKY WAY GALAXY,

230
00:12:45,666 --> 00:12:49,600
BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF STARS
IN THAT DIRECTION.

231
00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:52,066
AND YET NOT TOO MANY,

232
00:12:52,066 --> 00:12:56,633
SO KEPLER'S INSTRUMENTATION
DOESN'T GET CONFUSED.

233
00:12:56,633 --> 00:12:59,433
SO KEPLER'S STARING
AT THAT PATCH OF SKY,

234
00:12:59,433 --> 00:13:02,800
WHICH IS LIKE THE SIZE
OF YOUR HAND.

235
00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:07,733
AND IT'S WAITING FOR SOME
OF THOSE 170,000 STARS

236
00:13:07,733 --> 00:13:10,200
THAT IT'S CONCENTRATING ON
TO BLINK.

237
00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:15,000
OR AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT IT DID
BETWEEN 2009 AND 2012.

238
00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:18,633
2013. MY MISTAKE.

239
00:13:18,633 --> 00:13:20,400
AND, AS IT TURNS OUT,

240
00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:22,500
MANY OF THEM DID BLINK.

241
00:13:22,500 --> 00:13:25,300
AND THIS TRANSIT METHOD,

242
00:13:25,300 --> 00:13:29,333
LOOKING FOR A PLANET TO PASS
IN FRONT OF A STAR

243
00:13:29,333 --> 00:13:32,400
AND DIM ITS LIGHTS
FOR A FEW HOURS--

244
00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:35,166
DIM ITS BRIGHTNESS
FOR A FEW HOURS--

245
00:13:35,166 --> 00:13:37,800
IS EXTRAORDINARILY
SUCCESSFUL.

246
00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:41,533
SO TODAY,
ON THE KEPLER-MAST SITE,

247
00:13:41,533 --> 00:13:43,300
I LOOKED UP,
AND THERE ARE

248
00:13:43,300 --> 00:13:47,500
4,234 CANDIDATE EXOPLANETS.

249
00:13:47,500 --> 00:13:50,433
THAT GOES UP, AND SOMETIMES
IT GOES DOWN A LITTLE.

250
00:13:50,433 --> 00:13:55,433
AND 978 OF THEM
HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED

251
00:13:55,433 --> 00:13:59,166
EITHER BY OTHER GROUND-BASED
OBSERVATORIES

252
00:13:59,166 --> 00:14:00,866
AND OTHER METHODOLOGY,

253
00:14:00,866 --> 00:14:05,633
OR STATISTICALLY, USING
THE KEPLER DATA THEMSELVES.

254
00:14:05,633 --> 00:14:07,833
AND IT TURNS OUT

255
00:14:07,833 --> 00:14:12,300
THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE
THIS CHAUVINISM

256
00:14:12,300 --> 00:14:14,366
IN OUR SEARCH FOR LIFE,

257
00:14:14,366 --> 00:14:18,300
WE THINK LIQUID WATER
IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

258
00:14:18,300 --> 00:14:22,600
THEN THERE ARE
A FEW OF THESE STARS

259
00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:28,400
THAT APPEAR TO HAVE PLANETS
IN ORBIT AROUND THEM

260
00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:30,800
AT JUST THE RIGHT DISTANCE,

261
00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:32,666
SO THAT IF THERE WERE
AN ATMOSPHERE

262
00:14:32,666 --> 00:14:34,400
SURROUNDING THAT PLANET,

263
00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:37,266
IT WOULD BE NOT TOO HOT,
NOT TOO COLD,

264
00:14:37,266 --> 00:14:41,433
AND MIGHT BE ABLE TO SUPPORT
LIQUID WATER ON ITS SURFACE.

265
00:14:41,433 --> 00:14:45,966
AND SO WE THINK A LOT
ABOUT THIS HABITABLE ZONE.

266
00:14:45,966 --> 00:14:47,566
AND I HEARD A REALLY NICE TALK
AT THE SETI INSTITUTE

267
00:14:47,566 --> 00:14:50,066
A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO

268
00:14:50,066 --> 00:14:52,866
WHERE MY COLLEAGUE,
STEPHEN KANE,

269
00:14:52,866 --> 00:14:54,300
REMINDED US--

270
00:14:54,300 --> 00:14:56,566
I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL HERE.

271
00:14:56,566 --> 00:15:00,200
WE ASTRONOMERS ARE GOING
INTO HYPE LAND, RIGHT?

272
00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:03,533
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
HABITABLE ZONES,

273
00:15:03,533 --> 00:15:07,900
THEN POTENTIALLY
HABITABLE PLANETS.