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[Music]

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greetings friends and fellow earthlings

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tell me have you heard that scientists

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have recently successfully grown human

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vocal cords in a Petri dish for the

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first time

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I'll tell you the results speak for

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themselves

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welcome to ask an astrobiologist the

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show that celebrates the science and

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celebrates the scientists involved in

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our quest to understand the nature of

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life I'm your host Dr Graham Astro B

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flau and we're brought to you by the

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NASA astrobiology program and segnet.org

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now as always before we get into the

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meat of our show and have a wonderful

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conversation with our guest in their

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realm of expertise and about their

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history and their Hobbies we want to

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thank all of you out there who are

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interested in our show who tune in for

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all of the events and opportunities

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available from NASA astrobiology and who

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promote our show on Twitter and

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Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Tick Tock

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wherever you happen to be out there on

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the interwebs uh I'm old by the way

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um today we especially want to thank two

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of you out there Skyler Borges thank you

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very much for sharing on Twitter you can

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find Skyler at planetscientist on

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Twitter also Terry Trevino thank you

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very much for sharing about our show

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today about our guests and how excited

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you are for him to join us for this show

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oh and Terry Trevino by the way is at

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Terry Trevino on Twitter uh so thank you

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Skyler and Terry so much for promoting

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our show for us so let's get down to it

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today's episode is going to take us down

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under uh as our guest will be joining us

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from Australia and even though it's the

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evening here for me in the U.S it's

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actually the morning for him today I'm

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being joined by my friend and colleague

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and fellow cycomer Luke Stellar Luke is

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a current doctoral candidate at the

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Australian Center for astrobiology and I

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can tell you he's also one of the most

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recent research Affiliates to join the

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Blue Marble space Institute of science

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in his research Luke explores the

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geochemistry of both ancient and modern

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hot spring systems studying their

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potential to promote environments that

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are favorable for the origins and the

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evolution of life on Earth and

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potentially Beyond Luke is also a

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renowned science Communicator he's

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recently created and performed in the

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steam room where seven scientists were

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treated by comedians to perform stand-up

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comedy selling out shows at the City

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Comedy Festival and performing at music

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festivals and for those who know me you

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know that I've also done some stand-up

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science comedy you know that's near and

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dear to my heart and so I am so excited

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and happy to welcome Luke to the show

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Luke Stellar welcome to ask an

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astrobiologist

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thanks Graham it's uh so nice to be here

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it's so great to have you on the show

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um you know we've been we've been

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friends online for a long time we've

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known of each other's work for a long

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time we've really only had one chance to

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hang out

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um so far the pandemics made things hard

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for a lot of us for travel hope that all

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change soon

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um we had a chance to hang out at the

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astrobiology science conference this

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year which was awesome and I feel like I

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know a good bit about you but there's a

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lot I don't know and my job as the host

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is really to to introduce you to our

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audience so they can get to know you and

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one of the places I really like to start

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with all of my guests is to have you

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tell us your origin story what got you

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involved and interested either in in

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science in general or maybe even in

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astrobiology what was the moment that

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sparked your interest in the career that

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you've pursued

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yeah no that's a really great question

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um I guess I grew up in a really bushy

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area next to a national park so I was

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always getting outside and I loved the

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environment I also love figuring out how

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it all came together and you know the

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chemistry of the water and what makes

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all the trees grow

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um I went and I did you know

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environmental science at Uni and I kind

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of found myself falling into

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astrobiology research really looking at

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these fossils out in the desert of

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Australia which we'll talk about in a

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bit and I did my research I did my

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honors in this space and I went up to

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the dark and India and it was all

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exciting but I wasn't really sold on

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astrobiology I was like oh that's a bit

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of fun but whatever but it was actually

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um when I was hanging out with Sadaf

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Pandi who um some of your viewers may

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know set up the

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um Indian astrology Research Center and

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now at JPL and we'll add a you know a

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talk in Sydney about Mars and

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astrobiology and afterwards at the pub

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there was just so many interested people

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asking us questions you know and people

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who had no idea what astrobiology was

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but had some really really you know

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interesting insightful ideas about

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Enceladus or they talk to an alien the

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other week and wanted to ask us

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questions you know and I feel like it

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was just very

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um beautiful human Connection in

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astrobiology that really links us all

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together about figuring out where we're

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from figuring out if this other you know

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life out there and that's what

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captivated me and I think as you can

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tell I love having to chat with people I

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love communicating and I thought this is

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it this is my way to sort of engage with

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people um outside of science through

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astrobiology and that's what hooked me

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in so yeah now I'm a PhD student I'm

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doing all the things and yeah it's great

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I love that yeah I've always you know

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I've always thought myself like my best

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science hasn't been in the laboratory or

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even out in the field it's been around a

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campfire talking with people about

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science and about the cool things that

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we know so I love that but one thing I I

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do want to touch back on there you

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mentioned the dark

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um so maybe our audience or some of the

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folks watching right now are watching

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later on the YouTube recording aren't

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really aware of what ladakh is would you

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mind explaining what you did in ladakh

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in 26 scene yeah definitely so um I was

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very lucky as an honors student so in

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Australia we kind of do a mini Masters

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called honors it's just like a year of

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research after your undergrad and um I

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was very lucky that we were studying

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ancient hot springs that were preserved

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in the fossils in the pilbara so that's

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in Western Australia this amazing Arcane

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so it's three and a half billion years

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old like this super super super old

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fossils in Australia and we found there

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was Boron like the element Boron Rich

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Hot Springs preserved in those rocks and

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then it just so happened that the NASA

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space were down program which is a field

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trip of scientists and Educators were

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just going to Le dark so that's this

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north

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um North ish of India up in the

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Himalayas this beautiful high desert

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with sand dunes and places and all this

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amazing stuff but there's a boron Rich

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hot spring there and they'll go in there

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to investigate it and my supervisor was

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like mate just tag on like I'll pay you

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go up there and do all that stuff so um

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I was devastating enjoy some who's also

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you know our one of our fearless leaders

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at Blue Marble and a few other amazing

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NASA scientists um and I was collecting

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water samples and understanding what you

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need to concentrate elements in a hot

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spring what do you need happening

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underground to get all of boron or

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calcium whatever you want to make life

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bubbling up to the surface and um yeah

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it was a brilliant time it was really

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amazing

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that's so cool and I really wanted to go

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myself to the dock this past year due to

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the pandemic unfortunately it wasn't

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possible but there is still so much

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really awesome research going on in

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ladakh Siddharth founding as part of

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that and so for those interested there

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is Cosmic Adventures there they're

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taking people out to explore the field

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site in ladakh it's worth checking out

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if you're interested in exploring that

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part of India before the show you

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mentioned to me

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um an interesting I'd say uh

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serendipitous experience you have with

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Martin Van granenbank I've done you know

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I've read amas with Martin before he's a

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really well known scientist in

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astrobiology but you had an interesting

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experience where you offered for you to

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come along

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um into the bush and I wonder if you can

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explain that experience to our guests or

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to our to our audience

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no definitely

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um so

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um this is when I was an undergrad so I

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was in my like second year of University

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and

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um Martin was just like some distant

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Professor you know and as an undergrad

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you hardly get much chance to talk to

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them but he knew I was interested in

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camping he knew I really enjoyed um

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driving around the desert in big you

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know banged up four wheel drives and

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Utes and stuff and um he had a master's

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student who was mapping all of these

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um hydrothermal veins so they almost

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looked like brick walls cutting through

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the desert where they're kind of deep

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underground veins that used to fill up

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with fluids and then solidify and it

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kind of crisscrossed the landscape and

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as a landscape of Roads a bit more

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resistant to getting eroded away and

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weathering so you get these kind of

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lines crossing everywhere and he had his

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master student from Iran it's amazing

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guy called Sahand who was driving around

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mapping all these veins and what way

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they went but he didn't have an

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Australian driver's license so he was

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like hey Luke do you want you know when

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all expenses paid for a trip to the

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desert and basically be this guy's

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chauffeur dry driving around in the

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desert so for a month when I was you

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know 20 years old I would drive this guy

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out and it was beautiful because he had

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to walk to all of these vents you know

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and a big Arc and mapped them all and

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I'll just like drop them out there in

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the morning and pick him up from the

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other side of the afternoon and I had a

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hammock and I had a book and I said it's

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lovely you know Adventure in the desert

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um hanging out you know watching this

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guy and making sure he's walking between

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these mountains and um yeah I fell in

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love with the desert it was really

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beautiful yeah I love it yeah and like

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our audience they're often you know they

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want to know like how do I become an

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astrobiologist and sometimes it's those

275
00:09:34,009 --> 00:09:32,880
little things just you know someone

276
00:09:36,050 --> 00:09:34,019
comes up to you hey do you want to drive

277
00:09:37,310 --> 00:09:36,060
a car around the Outback for a month

278
00:09:39,170 --> 00:09:37,320
there's a little things that can happen

279
00:09:40,430 --> 00:09:39,180
that can can build not just your

280
00:09:43,130 --> 00:09:40,440
community and the people that you know

281
00:09:44,750 --> 00:09:43,140
but also your your life experiences oh

282
00:09:46,550 --> 00:09:44,760
definitely yeah and I think that's the

283
00:09:48,530 --> 00:09:46,560
beautiful thing where I you know got

284
00:09:51,050 --> 00:09:48,540
into astrobiology and done some amazing

285
00:09:53,389 --> 00:09:51,060
stuff especially out into pilbra before

286
00:09:54,949 --> 00:09:53,399
I love camping and I love you know

287
00:09:56,509 --> 00:09:54,959
forward driving and these kind of things

288
00:09:58,250 --> 00:09:56,519
that I never would have thought would

289
00:10:00,110 --> 00:09:58,260
have um you know helped me get a career

290
00:10:01,730 --> 00:10:00,120
in science so yeah I think just your

291
00:10:04,670 --> 00:10:01,740
passions can take you in really weird

292
00:10:05,870 --> 00:10:04,680
and wacky ways very cool so let's talk

293
00:10:07,730 --> 00:10:05,880
about where your passions have taken you

294
00:10:09,590 --> 00:10:07,740
then in your research from undergrad

295
00:10:11,210 --> 00:10:09,600
getting interested in Hot Springs a

296
00:10:12,470 --> 00:10:11,220
little bit in the environment and kind

297
00:10:13,910 --> 00:10:12,480
of transitioning more into you know

298
00:10:15,590 --> 00:10:13,920
environmental geochemistry and kind of

299
00:10:17,030 --> 00:10:15,600
working more in this realm

300
00:10:18,290 --> 00:10:17,040
um tell us a bit about your graduate

301
00:10:20,630 --> 00:10:18,300
research and what's really been

302
00:10:22,370 --> 00:10:20,640
propelling you these last few years yeah

303
00:10:23,389 --> 00:10:22,380
no definitely um so I've got this

304
00:10:25,009 --> 00:10:23,399
amazing

305
00:10:27,769 --> 00:10:25,019
um group of people that are supporting

306
00:10:29,509 --> 00:10:27,779
my PhD research so I have

307
00:10:31,970 --> 00:10:29,519
um people at University of California so

308
00:10:33,530 --> 00:10:31,980
Dave Dima and Bruce damer who are really

309
00:10:34,670 --> 00:10:33,540
looking at the chemistry of these Hot

310
00:10:36,410 --> 00:10:34,680
Springs

311
00:10:39,470 --> 00:10:36,420
um as well as pseudo rajamani over in

312
00:10:40,970 --> 00:10:39,480
Isa and Pune India and Kathy Campbell in

313
00:10:43,130 --> 00:10:40,980
um New Zealand so there's all these

314
00:10:45,470 --> 00:10:43,140
amazing hot spring researchers that are

315
00:10:48,769 --> 00:10:45,480
thinking about could life form in a hot

316
00:10:50,150 --> 00:10:48,779
spring and what our Research Center kind

317
00:10:51,470 --> 00:10:50,160
of realized was that there's all these

318
00:10:53,090 --> 00:10:51,480
chemists figuring that out and doing

319
00:10:54,769 --> 00:10:53,100
stuff in the lab and there's all these

320
00:10:56,210 --> 00:10:54,779
geologists going out you know into the

321
00:10:58,190 --> 00:10:56,220
field and studying ancient and modern

322
00:10:59,990 --> 00:10:58,200
Hot Springs but it wasn't a lot of

323
00:11:02,269 --> 00:11:00,000
communication between those two groups

324
00:11:04,449 --> 00:11:02,279
so I'm really lucky I've got you know my

325
00:11:07,790 --> 00:11:04,459
rock expert my

326
00:11:09,410 --> 00:11:07,800
and then I've got Albert farrenback who

327
00:11:11,090 --> 00:11:09,420
um went through the you know NASA

328
00:11:12,829 --> 00:11:11,100
postdoc program in the states and then

329
00:11:15,290 --> 00:11:12,839
came out here to Australia to set up a

330
00:11:17,269 --> 00:11:15,300
lab in pre-building chemistry and

331
00:11:19,250 --> 00:11:17,279
together we're kind of figuring out what

332
00:11:21,470 --> 00:11:19,260
works in the lab why wouldn't that work

333
00:11:22,370 --> 00:11:21,480
in the field or what rocks what minerals

334
00:11:24,710 --> 00:11:22,380
what

335
00:11:26,630 --> 00:11:24,720
um you know real life scenarios could we

336
00:11:28,730 --> 00:11:26,640
bring into the lab the kind of ground

337
00:11:30,590 --> 00:11:28,740
truth to try and make these you know

338
00:11:32,990 --> 00:11:30,600
very lofty ideas that chemists make

339
00:11:35,090 --> 00:11:33,000
about lipids and RNA and things coming

340
00:11:36,769 --> 00:11:35,100
together if the water was super muddy

341
00:11:38,329 --> 00:11:36,779
and if there was you know gases and

342
00:11:40,370 --> 00:11:38,339
splashing and all the kind of fun stuff

343
00:11:43,370 --> 00:11:40,380
you get in a hot spring could that still

344
00:11:45,350 --> 00:11:43,380
work like how resistant are our chemical

345
00:11:48,470 --> 00:11:45,360
systems so yeah that's the work I'm

346
00:11:49,790 --> 00:11:48,480
working on at the moment oh it's so cool

347
00:11:51,350 --> 00:11:49,800
um you know and so you mentioned a few

348
00:11:53,030 --> 00:11:51,360
excellent other scientists there one of

349
00:11:54,530 --> 00:11:53,040
them has been on our show uh Bruce

350
00:11:55,850 --> 00:11:54,540
steamer joined us in a previous episode

351
00:11:58,670 --> 00:11:55,860
a few years ago for asking

352
00:12:00,350 --> 00:11:58,680
astrobiologist and you know as folks

353
00:12:02,690 --> 00:12:00,360
might know from from their work and from

354
00:12:05,750 --> 00:12:02,700
their work with the biota Institute they

355
00:12:07,790 --> 00:12:05,760
they have a hypothesis that an origin of

356
00:12:10,190 --> 00:12:07,800
life on Earth would have been more

357
00:12:13,250 --> 00:12:10,200
likely to happen around a terrestrial

358
00:12:14,509 --> 00:12:13,260
hot spring environment as opposed to as

359
00:12:17,470 --> 00:12:14,519
some people have favorite on the ocean

360
00:12:19,970 --> 00:12:17,480
floor around an ocean a submarine

361
00:12:21,889 --> 00:12:19,980
hydrothermal van and so we asked our our

362
00:12:26,210 --> 00:12:21,899
audience on the NASA astrobio Twitter

363
00:12:29,449 --> 00:12:26,220
account what they thought today and uh

364
00:12:30,590 --> 00:12:29,459
76 of the respondents thought that life

365
00:12:33,230 --> 00:12:30,600
on Earth would be more likely to

366
00:12:35,509 --> 00:12:33,240
originate and an ocean hydrothermal vein

367
00:12:37,490 --> 00:12:35,519
I'm curious Luke what do you think would

368
00:12:39,290 --> 00:12:37,500
you think life could originate or what

369
00:12:40,910 --> 00:12:39,300
is more likely to originate around a

370
00:12:42,650 --> 00:12:40,920
terrestrial hot spring environment or

371
00:12:44,389 --> 00:12:42,660
more likely around a submarine

372
00:12:47,629 --> 00:12:44,399
hydrothermal vent

373
00:12:49,129 --> 00:12:47,639
um yeah um so firstly I think that um no

374
00:12:51,290 --> 00:12:49,139
one really knows yet you know we're

375
00:12:52,970 --> 00:12:51,300
doing great research in this space

376
00:12:55,670 --> 00:12:52,980
um both within you know research around

377
00:12:57,470 --> 00:12:55,680
these fans but also in these fields

378
00:12:59,030 --> 00:12:57,480
um I personally love these hot spring

379
00:13:00,590 --> 00:12:59,040
fields and maybe I'm biased because I

380
00:13:02,449 --> 00:13:00,600
get to go there more and they're a lot

381
00:13:05,509 --> 00:13:02,459
easier to walk around in and collect

382
00:13:07,310 --> 00:13:05,519
samples from but to me um the two things

383
00:13:09,350 --> 00:13:07,320
I love about these Hot Springs is one

384
00:13:11,150 --> 00:13:09,360
their ability to

385
00:13:12,889 --> 00:13:11,160
um and this is drawing on like Bruce and

386
00:13:14,990 --> 00:13:12,899
Dave's work and other people's research

387
00:13:17,449 --> 00:13:15,000
in this space it's the ability to

388
00:13:19,670 --> 00:13:17,459
promote evaporation so if you want to

389
00:13:21,530 --> 00:13:19,680
make polymers so long chains of DNA or

390
00:13:23,690 --> 00:13:21,540
proteins and that kind of stuff it's

391
00:13:26,629 --> 00:13:23,700
quite hard to do without you know

392
00:13:28,730 --> 00:13:26,639
enzymes and complex cellular Machinery

393
00:13:30,290 --> 00:13:28,740
um in a totally wet solution but if you

394
00:13:31,670 --> 00:13:30,300
can just remove that water it's really

395
00:13:33,769 --> 00:13:31,680
easy to get these individual building

396
00:13:35,690 --> 00:13:33,779
blocks of RNA to link up into long

397
00:13:36,949 --> 00:13:35,700
chains so I think that's one reason why

398
00:13:38,449 --> 00:13:36,959
people love

399
00:13:40,730 --> 00:13:38,459
um An Origin of Life happening on the

400
00:13:42,410 --> 00:13:40,740
Earth's surface but also it's to do with

401
00:13:44,509 --> 00:13:42,420
complexity so if you go to a hot spring

402
00:13:45,829 --> 00:13:44,519
site there are literally tens of

403
00:13:48,170 --> 00:13:45,839
thousands of hot springs and they've all

404
00:13:50,329 --> 00:13:48,180
got different temperatures different PHS

405
00:13:52,430 --> 00:13:50,339
different you know um Elements and

406
00:13:54,230 --> 00:13:52,440
Minerals dissolved in them and when you

407
00:13:55,850 --> 00:13:54,240
think about how complex life is and how

408
00:13:57,410 --> 00:13:55,860
many different reactions are needed for

409
00:13:59,870 --> 00:13:57,420
life to form

410
00:14:01,910 --> 00:13:59,880
um I think that having a place of 10 000

411
00:14:03,590 --> 00:14:01,920
different chemical environments would be

412
00:14:05,329 --> 00:14:03,600
a lot easier to get that you know one

413
00:14:07,370 --> 00:14:05,339
little chance of it just linking up the

414
00:14:09,410 --> 00:14:07,380
right way we're an event which is you

415
00:14:12,350 --> 00:14:09,420
know beautifully chemically Rich systems

416
00:14:14,150 --> 00:14:12,360
the more um even though if in within a

417
00:14:16,250 --> 00:14:14,160
field it's a single point source it's

418
00:14:18,110 --> 00:14:16,260
like one vent going out into a dilute

419
00:14:21,290 --> 00:14:18,120
ocean and it's you only get one real

420
00:14:22,550 --> 00:14:21,300
main chemical gradient in that space so

421
00:14:25,009 --> 00:14:22,560
that's um some of the arguments people

422
00:14:27,170 --> 00:14:25,019
make but also events are really cool so

423
00:14:29,150 --> 00:14:27,180
yeah the jury's still out as far as I'm

424
00:14:31,190 --> 00:14:29,160
concerned that's very cool it kind of

425
00:14:34,250 --> 00:14:31,200
reminds me of an ecology course like

426
00:14:35,449 --> 00:14:34,260
learning of biogeography in and how you

427
00:14:37,310 --> 00:14:35,459
have all these different experiments

428
00:14:39,650 --> 00:14:37,320
occurring around an island chain and how

429
00:14:40,850 --> 00:14:39,660
you know in Ireland or an archipelago of

430
00:14:42,710 --> 00:14:40,860
Hot Springs you might have a lot of

431
00:14:44,870 --> 00:14:42,720
different experiments occurring as well

432
00:14:46,310 --> 00:14:44,880
that's really cool to think about

433
00:14:47,629 --> 00:14:46,320
um now I do want to talk a little bit

434
00:14:48,710 --> 00:14:47,639
before I open another Twitter to our

435
00:14:50,750 --> 00:14:48,720
audience and by the way for those

436
00:14:52,370 --> 00:14:50,760
watching on YouTube right now uh you can

437
00:14:54,889 --> 00:14:52,380
ask questions in the chat as we'll start

438
00:14:56,389 --> 00:14:54,899
coming over to me to ask Luke as well

439
00:14:57,410 --> 00:14:56,399
um and also for those watching later on

440
00:14:58,610 --> 00:14:57,420
you can always reach out to Luke later

441
00:14:59,750 --> 00:14:58,620
on as well

442
00:15:02,449 --> 00:14:59,760
um I do want to talk a bit about your

443
00:15:03,650 --> 00:15:02,459
work now in science communication too

444
00:15:05,269 --> 00:15:03,660
um not only have you been working in

445
00:15:06,949 --> 00:15:05,279
this realm of Hot Springs both with

446
00:15:08,269 --> 00:15:06,959
ancient and modern

447
00:15:09,829 --> 00:15:08,279
um you've also been doing a lot of work

448
00:15:11,210 --> 00:15:09,839
in communicating science and as I

449
00:15:13,250 --> 00:15:11,220
mentioned you know like seeing these

450
00:15:14,269 --> 00:15:13,260
people in a bar or wherever where you

451
00:15:15,769 --> 00:15:14,279
know they're just interested in what

452
00:15:18,410 --> 00:15:15,779
we're learning about astrobiology and

453
00:15:20,870 --> 00:15:18,420
what we can share I'd love to hear from

454
00:15:22,850 --> 00:15:20,880
your perspective why you think we

455
00:15:24,470 --> 00:15:22,860
scientists should

456
00:15:26,090 --> 00:15:24,480
um maybe communicate our science or why

457
00:15:27,710 --> 00:15:26,100
we should be involved in the process of

458
00:15:29,569 --> 00:15:27,720
communicating our science

459
00:15:31,250 --> 00:15:29,579
yeah no definitely

460
00:15:32,930 --> 00:15:31,260
um so I think on one hand and I don't

461
00:15:34,550 --> 00:15:32,940
know how it worked in the states I

462
00:15:36,590 --> 00:15:34,560
imagine it's similar but in Australia

463
00:15:39,050 --> 00:15:36,600
all the funding we do is really

464
00:15:41,269 --> 00:15:39,060
government funded by taxpayers dollars

465
00:15:43,850 --> 00:15:41,279
you know and I think that people always

466
00:15:45,949 --> 00:15:43,860
critique astrobiology about what's the

467
00:15:47,750 --> 00:15:45,959
real world applications you know you're

468
00:15:49,910 --> 00:15:47,760
not curing cancer you're not building a

469
00:15:52,129 --> 00:15:49,920
faster car like what's what's the value

470
00:15:54,290 --> 00:15:52,139
of this society which you know is a

471
00:15:57,530 --> 00:15:54,300
valid point you know resources are you

472
00:15:59,210 --> 00:15:57,540
know finite but I see so much Beauty in

473
00:16:01,250 --> 00:15:59,220
astrobiology I see so much of that

474
00:16:03,470 --> 00:16:01,260
ability to connect humans together but

475
00:16:05,389 --> 00:16:03,480
also to understand complex you know

476
00:16:07,009 --> 00:16:05,399
biology and medicine to develop new

477
00:16:09,829 --> 00:16:07,019
technology to go to other planets is

478
00:16:11,750 --> 00:16:09,839
such an amazing value of astrobiology

479
00:16:13,790 --> 00:16:11,760
it's just the way we communicate that

480
00:16:17,750 --> 00:16:13,800
but then again at the same time I think

481
00:16:20,150 --> 00:16:17,760
that we have a um a duty to you know in

482
00:16:22,069 --> 00:16:20,160
tax payer funded research to give that

483
00:16:24,470 --> 00:16:22,079
research back to the people you know and

484
00:16:26,689 --> 00:16:24,480
there may not be a new vaccine or a new

485
00:16:28,189 --> 00:16:26,699
car but it might be a really exciting

486
00:16:29,990 --> 00:16:28,199
talk that they can listen to to and

487
00:16:31,850 --> 00:16:30,000
learn about how we're you know looking

488
00:16:33,470 --> 00:16:31,860
deep into these events or looking at you

489
00:16:35,689 --> 00:16:33,480
know Europa or Mars or that kind of

490
00:16:37,430 --> 00:16:35,699
thing so I see it as a bit of a Duty as

491
00:16:39,050 --> 00:16:37,440
a community of astrobiologists to get

492
00:16:41,329 --> 00:16:39,060
involved in that space

493
00:16:43,129 --> 00:16:41,339
very cool and then you you found it or

494
00:16:44,930 --> 00:16:43,139
co-founded practical

495
00:16:46,730 --> 00:16:44,940
um a platform for sharing your science

496
00:16:48,470 --> 00:16:46,740
and for developing science communication

497
00:16:50,509 --> 00:16:48,480
science education would you mind

498
00:16:53,269 --> 00:16:50,519
explaining that for our audience yeah no

499
00:16:55,790 --> 00:16:53,279
definitely so I created practical with

500
00:16:58,069 --> 00:16:55,800
um an amazing PhD student in the lab I

501
00:17:00,530 --> 00:16:58,079
was in Bonnie tease who's now graduated

502
00:17:02,389 --> 00:17:00,540
and just got a postdoc at JPL which is

503
00:17:04,370 --> 00:17:02,399
very exciting so for anyone on the stage

504
00:17:05,390 --> 00:17:04,380
she'll be over there shortly

505
00:17:07,329 --> 00:17:05,400
um and Bonnie and I were really

506
00:17:09,890 --> 00:17:07,339
interested in how do you engage

507
00:17:11,929 --> 00:17:09,900
audiences outside a general you know

508
00:17:14,510 --> 00:17:11,939
choir that we preach to in science

509
00:17:16,610 --> 00:17:14,520
communicators so you do a talk in a pub

510
00:17:18,350 --> 00:17:16,620
or you know you do something and that's

511
00:17:20,210 --> 00:17:18,360
you know trying to get out into your

512
00:17:21,949 --> 00:17:20,220
community but it's still just a whole

513
00:17:24,949 --> 00:17:21,959
bunch of PhD students turning up to the

514
00:17:27,049 --> 00:17:24,959
pub you know how do you get people

515
00:17:29,450 --> 00:17:27,059
um you know artists people at music

516
00:17:31,730 --> 00:17:29,460
festivals people you know outside of our

517
00:17:33,590 --> 00:17:31,740
little bubble of science excited about

518
00:17:35,990 --> 00:17:33,600
science and learning and engaging in

519
00:17:38,029 --> 00:17:36,000
that dialogue so we create a practical

520
00:17:40,850 --> 00:17:38,039
we started off building a whole bunch of

521
00:17:43,490 --> 00:17:40,860
online workshops from that you know um

522
00:17:45,169 --> 00:17:43,500
it's been a container for us to work

523
00:17:46,490 --> 00:17:45,179
with dancers you know contemporary

524
00:17:48,169 --> 00:17:46,500
dancers thinking about how could the

525
00:17:50,029 --> 00:17:48,179
origin of Life be expressed through

526
00:17:51,950 --> 00:17:50,039
movement you know we work with neural

527
00:17:53,390 --> 00:17:51,960
artists we work with Comedians and

528
00:17:55,909 --> 00:17:53,400
performers and it's all these amazing

529
00:17:57,950 --> 00:17:55,919
ways to bring people outside of science

530
00:18:00,409 --> 00:17:57,960
into what we do and also bring

531
00:18:03,470 --> 00:18:00,419
scientists out of our little world into

532
00:18:05,270 --> 00:18:03,480
the broader community so yeah absolutely

533
00:18:07,250 --> 00:18:05,280
and I'd love to unpack two things there

534
00:18:08,870 --> 00:18:07,260
one is the comedy and we'll talk about

535
00:18:10,430 --> 00:18:08,880
that in a moment but but also you

536
00:18:12,710 --> 00:18:10,440
mentioned contemporary dance and I love

537
00:18:14,750 --> 00:18:12,720
there's like the the dancier thesis

538
00:18:16,909 --> 00:18:14,760
competition that some people have and

539
00:18:18,950 --> 00:18:16,919
there's other ways to explore like our

540
00:18:20,690 --> 00:18:18,960
science and dance and one of my old lab

541
00:18:24,049 --> 00:18:20,700
mates for instance uh Betsy Swanner

542
00:18:26,570 --> 00:18:24,059
who's now a professor in geology uh she

543
00:18:29,630 --> 00:18:26,580
had done a dance of her thesis exploring

544
00:18:31,430 --> 00:18:29,640
uh subsurface microbes mediating iron

545
00:18:32,510 --> 00:18:31,440
metabolism

546
00:18:34,490 --> 00:18:32,520
um I wonder if you can explain for us

547
00:18:37,010 --> 00:18:34,500
like how do you see dance how do you see

548
00:18:40,370 --> 00:18:37,020
contemporary dance actually effectively

549
00:18:42,289 --> 00:18:40,380
sharing science yeah definitely so um

550
00:18:45,110 --> 00:18:42,299
the one example that I think is the best

551
00:18:47,330 --> 00:18:45,120
is that we um partner with Eliza Cooper

552
00:18:50,270 --> 00:18:47,340
who's an amazing um contemporary dancer

553
00:18:53,029 --> 00:18:50,280
here in Sydney and she had already been

554
00:18:55,490 --> 00:18:53,039
she's also studying um microbiology and

555
00:18:57,230 --> 00:18:55,500
science was thinking about life and its

556
00:18:58,970 --> 00:18:57,240
formation and put together this show and

557
00:19:02,810 --> 00:18:58,980
we thought we need scientists to see

558
00:19:04,970 --> 00:19:02,820
that and what um so we know I we got her

559
00:19:06,529 --> 00:19:04,980
to come to unsw we facilitated a big

560
00:19:08,029 --> 00:19:06,539
panel discussion and kind of got his

561
00:19:10,850 --> 00:19:08,039
Round Table talk of everyone together

562
00:19:12,350 --> 00:19:10,860
and what I loved about it was that most

563
00:19:16,010 --> 00:19:12,360
of the dance was

564
00:19:17,510 --> 00:19:16,020
um very slow and it was like little

565
00:19:19,070 --> 00:19:17,520
um actually it's really cute it had like

566
00:19:21,350 --> 00:19:19,080
you know Dances crawling around with

567
00:19:23,090 --> 00:19:21,360
like lettuce leaves as little ears and

568
00:19:25,370 --> 00:19:23,100
were kind of like moving across the

569
00:19:27,409 --> 00:19:25,380
stage and at the end she was saying that

570
00:19:29,270 --> 00:19:27,419
when we think about the evolution and

571
00:19:30,590 --> 00:19:29,280
history of life you often get a

572
00:19:32,870 --> 00:19:30,600
highlights reel you know it's like

573
00:19:34,130 --> 00:19:32,880
origin of life and then eukaryotes and

574
00:19:35,450 --> 00:19:34,140
then they all started having sex and

575
00:19:36,710 --> 00:19:35,460
then they had eyes and like it's just

576
00:19:38,990 --> 00:19:36,720
you can really

577
00:19:41,390 --> 00:19:39,000
um go through it so quickly but so much

578
00:19:44,210 --> 00:19:41,400
of hour of shared history as you know

579
00:19:46,310 --> 00:19:44,220
living entities on this planet revolved

580
00:19:48,830 --> 00:19:46,320
around like billions of years of just

581
00:19:50,990 --> 00:19:48,840
stromatolite slowly bubbling away oxygen

582
00:19:53,630 --> 00:19:51,000
in an ocean or little slugs just moving

583
00:19:54,830 --> 00:19:53,640
around eating dirt and um I think it's

584
00:19:56,870 --> 00:19:54,840
really

585
00:19:58,370 --> 00:19:56,880
humbling to think about the long history

586
00:20:00,590 --> 00:19:58,380
we have and the very boring history

587
00:20:02,029 --> 00:20:00,600
really of life and I think that helped

588
00:20:04,370 --> 00:20:02,039
me as a scientists understand that

589
00:20:06,169 --> 00:20:04,380
better for sitting for an hour of a very

590
00:20:08,570 --> 00:20:06,179
um exciting but slow dance that

591
00:20:10,370 --> 00:20:08,580
sometimes yeah yeah I mean there's

592
00:20:11,810 --> 00:20:10,380
there's so many interesting ways for us

593
00:20:13,610 --> 00:20:11,820
to like untangle those little bits of

594
00:20:15,350 --> 00:20:13,620
knowledge that we have and we've

595
00:20:17,570 --> 00:20:15,360
uncovered through Millennia now of

596
00:20:18,950 --> 00:20:17,580
developing science as a tool and for for

597
00:20:20,750 --> 00:20:18,960
us to have learned so much it's what's

598
00:20:22,190 --> 00:20:20,760
interesting I it's actually kind of put

599
00:20:23,690 --> 00:20:22,200
it into that framework too where you

600
00:20:24,890 --> 00:20:23,700
slow things down

601
00:20:26,570 --> 00:20:24,900
um because you're right I think a lot of

602
00:20:28,610 --> 00:20:26,580
us just we have these certain images of

603
00:20:30,529 --> 00:20:28,620
certain scientific ideas and even our

604
00:20:32,690 --> 00:20:30,539
scientists have certain images or some

605
00:20:34,370 --> 00:20:32,700
other scientific ideas outside of our

606
00:20:35,810 --> 00:20:34,380
own fields and when we start learning

607
00:20:38,330 --> 00:20:35,820
more about it we really find that we

608
00:20:39,710 --> 00:20:38,340
need analogies and we need other ways to

609
00:20:42,049 --> 00:20:39,720
speak to what it means to be human to

610
00:20:43,610 --> 00:20:42,059
really understand those topics and so

611
00:20:45,350 --> 00:20:43,620
um that's very cool

612
00:20:47,750 --> 00:20:45,360
um now of course I do want to talk about

613
00:20:49,430 --> 00:20:47,760
stand-up science comedy with you I

614
00:20:51,710 --> 00:20:49,440
myself have been fortunate to be on a

615
00:20:53,630 --> 00:20:51,720
stage doing comedy um both at a museum

616
00:20:55,730 --> 00:20:53,640
as well as at a bar

617
00:20:58,310 --> 00:20:55,740
um you know it's a very entry experience

618
00:21:00,169 --> 00:20:58,320
I'd love to hear like what what really

619
00:21:01,850 --> 00:21:00,179
turned you all into doing stand-up

620
00:21:02,990 --> 00:21:01,860
science comedy and kind of got you into

621
00:21:05,390 --> 00:21:03,000
that Realm

622
00:21:06,289 --> 00:21:05,400
yeah um so I just want to say I'm not a

623
00:21:08,750 --> 00:21:06,299
comedian

624
00:21:11,029 --> 00:21:08,760
um I don't really find myself

625
00:21:12,590 --> 00:21:11,039
um I wasn't particularly funny or you

626
00:21:14,150 --> 00:21:12,600
know in that space I just had a lot of

627
00:21:16,070 --> 00:21:14,160
friends who work in meetings and ran

628
00:21:18,529 --> 00:21:16,080
comedy rooms so I would see a lot of

629
00:21:20,690 --> 00:21:18,539
comedy and I think sitting there I saw

630
00:21:22,490 --> 00:21:20,700
that

631
00:21:24,830 --> 00:21:22,500
stage and just say

632
00:21:26,810 --> 00:21:24,840
hey and everyone's captivated you know

633
00:21:28,850 --> 00:21:26,820
or like ask a simple question or open up

634
00:21:30,470 --> 00:21:28,860
a single you know statement and the

635
00:21:32,750 --> 00:21:30,480
whole crowds on the edge of their seat

636
00:21:35,029 --> 00:21:32,760
and I was like why can't professors at

637
00:21:37,010 --> 00:21:35,039
Uni do that why can't we have

638
00:21:38,630 --> 00:21:37,020
um you know scientists who get really

639
00:21:41,029 --> 00:21:38,640
excited about these things being able to

640
00:21:43,909 --> 00:21:41,039
get there and get people interested and

641
00:21:45,890 --> 00:21:43,919
engaged so quickly and um yeah I wanted

642
00:21:47,750 --> 00:21:45,900
to get comedians to teach scientists to

643
00:21:49,970 --> 00:21:47,760
be more engaging and also get people

644
00:21:53,029 --> 00:21:49,980
talking science on a bigger comedy stage

645
00:21:54,110 --> 00:21:53,039
so that's where it all came from yeah so

646
00:21:55,850 --> 00:21:54,120
it's interesting that you said you

647
00:21:57,830 --> 00:21:55,860
weren't particularly funny or you don't

648
00:21:59,690 --> 00:21:57,840
think of yourself as being a comedian uh

649
00:22:02,450 --> 00:21:59,700
so you you did share with us a little

650
00:22:03,890 --> 00:22:02,460
clip uh of some of your comedy and so I

651
00:22:05,450 --> 00:22:03,900
think we're actually going to share just

652
00:22:08,330 --> 00:22:05,460
a little piece of your comedy with our

653
00:22:10,549 --> 00:22:08,340
audience right now uh and so I I think

654
00:22:11,570 --> 00:22:10,559
uh we'll roll it here into the moment

655
00:22:13,250 --> 00:22:11,580
um of course you know I won't be seeing

656
00:22:14,810 --> 00:22:13,260
it but our audience will and for the

657
00:22:16,310 --> 00:22:14,820
audiences you're watching this thing to

658
00:22:17,810 --> 00:22:16,320
yourself was that funny or not let us

659
00:22:19,930 --> 00:22:17,820
know in the chat

660
00:22:22,430 --> 00:22:19,940
um so like the other day

661
00:22:24,710 --> 00:22:22,440
instructor and they asked me what I do

662
00:22:27,549 --> 00:22:24,720
and I told them I studied astrobiology

663
00:22:31,750 --> 00:22:27,559
and all of a sudden they go oh my God

664
00:22:34,250 --> 00:22:31,760
I'm a Gemini foreign

665
00:22:38,409 --> 00:22:34,260
you get to do your whole PhD in

666
00:22:40,970 --> 00:22:38,419
astrology that is so Aquarius of you

667
00:22:42,830 --> 00:22:40,980
you've got to help me out my boyfriend

668
00:22:44,529 --> 00:22:42,840
and I have been a mess ever since the

669
00:22:46,850 --> 00:22:44,539
Venus retrograde

670
00:22:48,950 --> 00:22:46,860
and as I said you know this could be a

671
00:22:50,570 --> 00:22:48,960
great learning opportunity and after

672
00:22:52,789 --> 00:22:50,580
another bit of a chat and I've found out

673
00:22:54,770 --> 00:22:52,799
what astrology means today

674
00:22:56,570 --> 00:22:54,780
say Hey I'm really sorry

675
00:22:58,530 --> 00:22:56,580
I can't help you understand why the

676
00:23:02,630 --> 00:22:58,540
rotation of space

677
00:23:07,510 --> 00:23:04,789
and even though the surface of Venus is

678
00:23:08,750 --> 00:23:07,520
actually 400 degrees Celsius

679
00:23:10,669 --> 00:23:08,760
[Music]

680
00:23:13,250 --> 00:23:10,679
all right folks coming back to our show

681
00:23:15,230 --> 00:23:13,260
now I think it was pretty funny

682
00:23:17,450 --> 00:23:15,240
um so so Luke I have to say I found your

683
00:23:18,529 --> 00:23:17,460
your stand-up set very good

684
00:23:19,730 --> 00:23:18,539
um now of course there's some other

685
00:23:22,010 --> 00:23:19,740
parts of your standards that we haven't

686
00:23:23,390 --> 00:23:22,020
shared and so um I'd love it for any of

687
00:23:25,610 --> 00:23:23,400
our audience members especially those in

688
00:23:27,230 --> 00:23:25,620
Australia right now uh to go check out

689
00:23:28,850 --> 00:23:27,240
your stand-up science comedy when they

690
00:23:30,230 --> 00:23:28,860
have a chance to

691
00:23:32,870 --> 00:23:30,240
um and so you know it's fun just that

692
00:23:34,850 --> 00:23:32,880
chance to really to share science in in

693
00:23:36,409 --> 00:23:34,860
a humorous manner

694
00:23:38,390 --> 00:23:36,419
um to find ways to make some punch lines

695
00:23:40,070 --> 00:23:38,400
too and one thing I personally found was

696
00:23:43,010 --> 00:23:40,080
that it forced me to really think about

697
00:23:45,649 --> 00:23:43,020
not just analogies not just stories

698
00:23:48,230 --> 00:23:45,659
about my science but also stories that

699
00:23:51,049 --> 00:23:48,240
were you know really seeking to elicit a

700
00:23:52,669 --> 00:23:51,059
very specific human emotional reaction

701
00:23:54,529 --> 00:23:52,679
um how do you feel about that like what

702
00:23:57,710 --> 00:23:54,539
was the the process for you in sculpting

703
00:23:59,510 --> 00:23:57,720
your comedy yeah um I think for me it

704
00:24:01,250 --> 00:23:59,520
was really around

705
00:24:03,409 --> 00:24:01,260
breaking down these barriers of what

706
00:24:04,850 --> 00:24:03,419
makes a scientist you know and um you

707
00:24:06,350 --> 00:24:04,860
know you saw my little

708
00:24:08,690 --> 00:24:06,360
um you know bit there it was all around

709
00:24:10,370 --> 00:24:08,700
the way that people perceive me as a

710
00:24:12,890 --> 00:24:10,380
scientist in different walks of my life

711
00:24:15,289 --> 00:24:12,900
but you know we had um six other amazing

712
00:24:17,330 --> 00:24:15,299
scientists join me and like they were

713
00:24:18,230 --> 00:24:17,340
talking about Tinder dates they would go

714
00:24:19,490 --> 00:24:18,240
on and then people would figure

715
00:24:20,870 --> 00:24:19,500
scientists and ask them all these

716
00:24:22,610 --> 00:24:20,880
questions on a way that their parents

717
00:24:24,289 --> 00:24:22,620
would interact with them or the way that

718
00:24:27,049 --> 00:24:24,299
supervisors would view them as

719
00:24:28,909 --> 00:24:27,059
undergrads and I think that if we had

720
00:24:30,289 --> 00:24:28,919
this very narrow idea of what a

721
00:24:32,330 --> 00:24:30,299
scientist is

722
00:24:34,310 --> 00:24:32,340
um it excludes people who don't fit into

723
00:24:35,630 --> 00:24:34,320
that category from joining science but

724
00:24:37,610 --> 00:24:35,640
it also makes people distrust you

725
00:24:40,250 --> 00:24:37,620
because like oh if you're like a boring

726
00:24:42,049 --> 00:24:40,260
nerd who you know doesn't you know live

727
00:24:43,370 --> 00:24:42,059
a normal life how can I trust you to

728
00:24:45,409 --> 00:24:43,380
make decisions about you know the

729
00:24:46,970 --> 00:24:45,419
science that impacts my life so I think

730
00:24:48,649 --> 00:24:46,980
it's a really important way to

731
00:24:50,330 --> 00:24:48,659
communicate science and to break down

732
00:24:54,350 --> 00:24:50,340
those barriers on um a lot of different

733
00:24:56,870 --> 00:24:54,360
levels which is really fun absolutely uh

734
00:24:58,370 --> 00:24:56,880
so many of our audience members or their

735
00:25:00,110 --> 00:24:58,380
young students and in you know High

736
00:25:02,090 --> 00:25:00,120
School Secondary School their their

737
00:25:04,310 --> 00:25:02,100
students in in their early Collegiate or

738
00:25:06,409 --> 00:25:04,320
even graduate school levels um and some

739
00:25:08,390 --> 00:25:06,419
are continuing education some are are

740
00:25:09,890 --> 00:25:08,400
people who've had a life and a career

741
00:25:11,990 --> 00:25:09,900
but now they're interested in exploring

742
00:25:13,190 --> 00:25:12,000
more about astrobiology and one thing

743
00:25:15,470 --> 00:25:13,200
you hear a lot that people feel like

744
00:25:17,630 --> 00:25:15,480
they can't be astrobiologists unless

745
00:25:20,270 --> 00:25:17,640
they have a PhD in astronomy or geology

746
00:25:21,770 --> 00:25:20,280
or biology and it's like Mary wojtek

747
00:25:24,529 --> 00:25:21,780
always says that you know everyone can

748
00:25:26,450 --> 00:25:24,539
be an astrobiologist it's just being you

749
00:25:28,130 --> 00:25:26,460
know interested in this and in this this

750
00:25:29,450 --> 00:25:28,140
Quest that we have to understand what

751
00:25:30,649 --> 00:25:29,460
life is

752
00:25:33,409 --> 00:25:30,659
um one thing that you had mentioned to

753
00:25:35,330 --> 00:25:33,419
me um before our show started was that

754
00:25:37,850 --> 00:25:35,340
you'd like acknowledging experts outside

755
00:25:39,590 --> 00:25:37,860
of our field and I I wonder if you can

756
00:25:41,870 --> 00:25:39,600
explain on that a little bit before our

757
00:25:44,750 --> 00:25:41,880
audience the importance of acknowledging

758
00:25:46,250 --> 00:25:44,760
expertise Beyond just astrobiology

759
00:25:48,950 --> 00:25:46,260
beyond just science

760
00:25:50,510 --> 00:25:48,960
yeah no definitely so um as I said I

761
00:25:52,130 --> 00:25:50,520
didn't think I was an originally funny

762
00:25:54,830 --> 00:25:52,140
person but I work with some great

763
00:25:56,810 --> 00:25:54,840
comedians um and great trainers who help

764
00:25:58,909 --> 00:25:56,820
me to think about you know comedy and

765
00:26:00,289 --> 00:25:58,919
joke writing in a really new light and

766
00:26:02,990 --> 00:26:00,299
they were the experts and as I said

767
00:26:04,789 --> 00:26:03,000
before you know um you go to a comedy

768
00:26:07,190 --> 00:26:04,799
show and these people on stage they've

769
00:26:08,990 --> 00:26:07,200
spent years honing this skill you know

770
00:26:11,210 --> 00:26:09,000
their their artists they're experts in

771
00:26:12,830 --> 00:26:11,220
their craft of communication and you

772
00:26:14,450 --> 00:26:12,840
know I love having a chat I love you

773
00:26:16,190 --> 00:26:14,460
know doing some kinds of science

774
00:26:17,870 --> 00:26:16,200
communication but working with them was

775
00:26:20,570 --> 00:26:17,880
the real beauty of it and it's the same

776
00:26:22,130 --> 00:26:20,580
way of bringing in artists to rethink a

777
00:26:24,049 --> 00:26:22,140
way that you see the world or bringing

778
00:26:26,029 --> 00:26:24,059
in you know philosophers are bringing in

779
00:26:28,070 --> 00:26:26,039
economists or anyone like there's so

780
00:26:29,510 --> 00:26:28,080
many intersections in the way that we

781
00:26:31,430 --> 00:26:29,520
have to

782
00:26:32,810 --> 00:26:31,440
um view astrobiology because it's such a

783
00:26:34,430 --> 00:26:32,820
huge question like you know one

784
00:26:36,649 --> 00:26:34,440
physicist isn't going to solve it you

785
00:26:38,690 --> 00:26:36,659
know we need all of humanity to come

786
00:26:41,450 --> 00:26:38,700
together so I think that's what you said

787
00:26:42,710 --> 00:26:41,460
anyone can be an astrobiologist and you

788
00:26:45,049 --> 00:26:42,720
know if you're out there and you've got

789
00:26:47,510 --> 00:26:45,059
skills or experiences in totally

790
00:26:49,370 --> 00:26:47,520
different areas um don't be shy to

791
00:26:52,310 --> 00:26:49,380
promote those skills and think about how

792
00:26:53,870 --> 00:26:52,320
can I engage in astrobiology with my own

793
00:26:54,769 --> 00:26:53,880
skill set you know I've got started in

794
00:26:56,090 --> 00:26:54,779
this because I was really good at

795
00:26:58,730 --> 00:26:56,100
setting up tents in the desert you know

796
00:27:00,710 --> 00:26:58,740
that was my intro and my little niche in

797
00:27:02,390 --> 00:27:00,720
astrobiology and now you know we're

798
00:27:04,190 --> 00:27:02,400
running camps where NASA visits to

799
00:27:07,190 --> 00:27:04,200
pilborough and for school kids out there

800
00:27:08,810 --> 00:27:07,200
and amazing stuff just from um you know

801
00:27:11,830 --> 00:27:08,820
just from my passion and my interests so

802
00:27:15,710 --> 00:27:11,840
yeah don't be shy just value your skills

803
00:27:17,029 --> 00:27:15,720
yeah it's so groovy I will say so I see

804
00:27:18,710 --> 00:27:17,039
you in the chat on YouTube some folks

805
00:27:20,090 --> 00:27:18,720
that said that was very funny

806
00:27:21,590 --> 00:27:20,100
um and a reminder for those watching on

807
00:27:23,750 --> 00:27:21,600
YouTube right now you can actually ask

808
00:27:25,310 --> 00:27:23,760
your questions in the chat for Luke

809
00:27:28,070 --> 00:27:25,320
um we'll get to those very soon I do

810
00:27:30,230 --> 00:27:28,080
promise that first we have our faster

811
00:27:31,970 --> 00:27:30,240
than light rapid fire segment questions

812
00:27:33,409 --> 00:27:31,980
or questions here

813
00:27:35,149 --> 00:27:33,419
um these are where I have a few simple

814
00:27:36,710 --> 00:27:35,159
questions and

815
00:27:38,510 --> 00:27:36,720
um I prefer a shorter answer if possible

816
00:27:39,649 --> 00:27:38,520
but I allow you to expound however you

817
00:27:41,570 --> 00:27:39,659
prefer

818
00:27:45,110 --> 00:27:41,580
um the first question is what is your

819
00:27:47,890 --> 00:27:45,120
favorite response or answer to fermi's

820
00:27:50,870 --> 00:27:47,900
famous question where are they

821
00:27:53,149 --> 00:27:50,880
I love the zoo Paradox I love that deer

822
00:27:54,350 --> 00:27:53,159
that we're kind of yeah some menageries

823
00:27:55,610 --> 00:27:54,360
somewhere and there's all these aliens

824
00:27:57,669 --> 00:27:55,620
looking on us I think that's pretty

825
00:28:00,529 --> 00:27:57,679
hilarious yeah

826
00:28:02,750 --> 00:28:00,539
I love that Rick and Morty episode where

827
00:28:05,029 --> 00:28:02,760
they go like they go to this this giant

828
00:28:06,529 --> 00:28:05,039
monster alien creatures Menagerie and

829
00:28:09,230 --> 00:28:06,539
they're stuck inside the glass box and

830
00:28:10,730 --> 00:28:09,240
they transmit a message back to Earth in

831
00:28:12,769 --> 00:28:10,740
the movie contact they have the Jody

832
00:28:15,470 --> 00:28:12,779
Foster character come to their time and

833
00:28:16,549 --> 00:28:15,480
replace Rick and Morty with these people

834
00:28:18,950 --> 00:28:16,559
um I mean it's kind of terrible too

835
00:28:20,450 --> 00:28:18,960
that's pretty funny it's hilarious yeah

836
00:28:22,549 --> 00:28:20,460
yeah

837
00:28:24,590 --> 00:28:22,559
um so when it comes to you know our

838
00:28:27,110 --> 00:28:24,600
science and astrobiology there's so much

839
00:28:30,350 --> 00:28:27,120
media out there in the world we humans

840
00:28:33,169 --> 00:28:30,360
are storytellers comic books magazines

841
00:28:35,450 --> 00:28:33,179
movies television shows there's so many

842
00:28:37,610 --> 00:28:35,460
stories that we tell and so I'm curious

843
00:28:40,250 --> 00:28:37,620
you know what stories have inspired you

844
00:28:41,750 --> 00:28:40,260
the most to want to explore more about

845
00:28:44,269 --> 00:28:41,760
life in the universe

846
00:28:45,830 --> 00:28:44,279
yeah um so I recently finished reading

847
00:28:47,029 --> 00:28:45,840
project Hail Mary

848
00:28:49,250 --> 00:28:47,039
um which is by the same over who wrote

849
00:28:51,769 --> 00:28:49,260
The Martian and um I just love the

850
00:28:53,750 --> 00:28:51,779
ability to weave like you know they're

851
00:28:56,870 --> 00:28:53,760
talking about maths equations they're

852
00:28:59,269 --> 00:28:56,880
weaving like real science into a fiction

853
00:29:01,250 --> 00:28:59,279
story um an astrology as well and a

854
00:29:02,870 --> 00:29:01,260
really captivating exciting way and I

855
00:29:05,090 --> 00:29:02,880
learned a lot of really cool science out

856
00:29:07,549 --> 00:29:05,100
of that as well so um that's a narrative

857
00:29:09,409 --> 00:29:07,559
that I really enjoyed recently yeah very

858
00:29:11,149 --> 00:29:09,419
cool yeah it's Andrew wrote The Martian

859
00:29:12,710 --> 00:29:11,159
like it was a great book I haven't read

860
00:29:13,549 --> 00:29:12,720
projectile Mary yet but I definitely

861
00:29:14,930 --> 00:29:13,559
should

862
00:29:16,490 --> 00:29:14,940
um it's on my list of things to read so

863
00:29:17,810 --> 00:29:16,500
that's very cool

864
00:29:18,769 --> 00:29:17,820
um so let's let's talk about your career

865
00:29:20,389 --> 00:29:18,779
a little bit

866
00:29:22,310 --> 00:29:20,399
um if you could go back in time to that

867
00:29:23,870 --> 00:29:22,320
that 20 year old Luke and talk to him

868
00:29:25,970 --> 00:29:23,880
and visit yourself

869
00:29:28,370 --> 00:29:25,980
um what advice would you give the young

870
00:29:30,889 --> 00:29:28,380
version of yourself

871
00:29:33,470 --> 00:29:30,899
yeah I think just follow your passion I

872
00:29:34,909 --> 00:29:33,480
think that passion sings so loudly and I

873
00:29:36,889 --> 00:29:34,919
think I can imagine for people like

874
00:29:38,990 --> 00:29:36,899
yourself and I know my supervisors

875
00:29:41,810 --> 00:29:39,000
always say this to me it's my passion

876
00:29:43,310 --> 00:29:41,820
it's my interest it's my excitement that

877
00:29:44,630 --> 00:29:43,320
um draws me into these projects and sort

878
00:29:46,730 --> 00:29:44,640
of lets me have all these amazing

879
00:29:48,590 --> 00:29:46,740
opportunities so I think that what

880
00:29:51,350 --> 00:29:48,600
you're excited by what interests you

881
00:29:52,789 --> 00:29:51,360
just like stick to that and um you know

882
00:29:54,230 --> 00:29:52,799
even if it's not the most you know

883
00:29:56,510 --> 00:29:54,240
prestigious career at least you're gonna

884
00:29:58,070 --> 00:29:56,520
be having fun but also it will end up

885
00:29:59,810 --> 00:29:58,080
being a great career because people will

886
00:30:02,510 --> 00:29:59,820
recognize that passion

887
00:30:04,130 --> 00:30:02,520
I love that yeah yeah I always I always

888
00:30:05,930 --> 00:30:04,140
I love this question because I have no

889
00:30:09,110 --> 00:30:05,940
idea what I would say to myself because

890
00:30:10,549 --> 00:30:09,120
you know I was I was I had no idea what

891
00:30:12,230 --> 00:30:10,559
I wanted to be when I grew up when I was

892
00:30:13,490 --> 00:30:12,240
20 and I'm almost 40 now and I still

893
00:30:15,110 --> 00:30:13,500
have no idea what I want to be when I

894
00:30:16,430 --> 00:30:15,120
grow up so it's kind of fun right

895
00:30:17,930 --> 00:30:16,440
there's a lot of things you can explore

896
00:30:19,549 --> 00:30:17,940
and adventure and yeah you can learn a

897
00:30:20,990 --> 00:30:19,559
lot along the way

898
00:30:22,310 --> 00:30:21,000
um so here's another one about asking

899
00:30:24,230 --> 00:30:22,320
questions

900
00:30:26,690 --> 00:30:24,240
um I personally I love thinking not just

901
00:30:28,789 --> 00:30:26,700
about where we are now and where we're

902
00:30:31,010 --> 00:30:28,799
going in the next you know one or two or

903
00:30:33,710 --> 00:30:31,020
ten years but you know in the next

904
00:30:37,070 --> 00:30:33,720
Century in the next millennium where our

905
00:30:39,409 --> 00:30:37,080
species or our biosphere might go to and

906
00:30:42,110 --> 00:30:39,419
so assuming humans are here in a hundred

907
00:30:44,389 --> 00:30:42,120
years if you could go to the Future and

908
00:30:48,710 --> 00:30:44,399
meet Human Society a century from now

909
00:30:53,269 --> 00:30:51,409
um I guess how did I do it basically you

910
00:30:55,730 --> 00:30:53,279
know like we're on such a trajectory of

911
00:30:58,250 --> 00:30:55,740
environmental destruction and a lot of

912
00:31:00,169 --> 00:30:58,260
social um upheaval at the moment and

913
00:31:01,730 --> 00:31:00,179
I'll be you know fascinated to see how

914
00:31:04,070 --> 00:31:01,740
we can weave through that and live

915
00:31:05,690 --> 00:31:04,080
sustainably and you know in harmony with

916
00:31:07,549 --> 00:31:05,700
Earth so yeah I'd really just be like

917
00:31:08,750 --> 00:31:07,559
hey how did you get over all these

918
00:31:10,970 --> 00:31:08,760
problems that we're facing at the moment

919
00:31:13,250 --> 00:31:10,980
that would really excite me yeah

920
00:31:15,529 --> 00:31:13,260
very cool

921
00:31:17,450 --> 00:31:15,539
um so right now you know not just NASA

922
00:31:19,970 --> 00:31:17,460
but many space agencies many scientists

923
00:31:24,669 --> 00:31:19,980
many Engineers around the world are

924
00:31:29,630 --> 00:31:27,830
to look for life out there in the

925
00:31:31,549 --> 00:31:29,640
universe on other worlds in our solar

926
00:31:33,529 --> 00:31:31,559
system and now we're looking at the

927
00:31:35,570 --> 00:31:33,539
atmospheres of exoplanets you know it's

928
00:31:38,570 --> 00:31:35,580
it's a kind of a mind-blowing moment in

929
00:31:40,310 --> 00:31:38,580
time but one question I I like posing

930
00:31:42,529 --> 00:31:40,320
and you know you can always say no if

931
00:31:45,409 --> 00:31:42,539
you don't have an answer for this but

932
00:31:47,090 --> 00:31:45,419
um if there is alien life out there do

933
00:31:50,090 --> 00:31:47,100
you think we're most likely to find it

934
00:31:52,010 --> 00:31:50,100
first in our solar system on another

935
00:31:54,470 --> 00:31:52,020
world or do you think we're more likely

936
00:31:56,090 --> 00:31:54,480
to find it on an exoplanet in another

937
00:31:59,029 --> 00:31:56,100
solar system

938
00:32:01,070 --> 00:31:59,039
yeah interesting I think that um

939
00:32:03,289 --> 00:32:01,080
as you saw with things like you know

940
00:32:04,789 --> 00:32:03,299
potentially detecting phosphate on Venus

941
00:32:06,649 --> 00:32:04,799
and that kind of stuff

942
00:32:08,690 --> 00:32:06,659
um what a biomarker is or what evidence

943
00:32:11,090 --> 00:32:08,700
for life is can be very varied you know

944
00:32:14,409 --> 00:32:11,100
and people disagree on that

945
00:32:17,090 --> 00:32:14,419
um I personally think that perhaps a

946
00:32:19,909 --> 00:32:17,100
sure answer might come from within our

947
00:32:22,430 --> 00:32:19,919
solar system where if we find a direct

948
00:32:24,110 --> 00:32:22,440
you know little bit of bacteria irking

949
00:32:25,310 --> 00:32:24,120
out its life on Mars under a rock or

950
00:32:27,350 --> 00:32:25,320
somewhere like that'd be pretty hard to

951
00:32:29,029 --> 00:32:27,360
argue with but you know if we detect

952
00:32:30,830 --> 00:32:29,039
some really distant technical signature

953
00:32:32,510 --> 00:32:30,840
or a bit of you know Alien made

954
00:32:35,090 --> 00:32:32,520
pollution in an atmosphere and some

955
00:32:36,409 --> 00:32:35,100
exoplanet I just imagine that arguments

956
00:32:38,210 --> 00:32:36,419
popping up about that and people just

957
00:32:39,830 --> 00:32:38,220
getting so into it I think it may take

958
00:32:41,630 --> 00:32:39,840
years before we actually agree on it

959
00:32:43,310 --> 00:32:41,640
which will kind of ruin the fun I want

960
00:32:45,710 --> 00:32:43,320
to have that headline being like aliens

961
00:32:47,750 --> 00:32:45,720
found you know coming out so yeah that's

962
00:32:49,490 --> 00:32:47,760
why I think it'll be easier to prove it

963
00:32:52,370 --> 00:32:49,500
here on Earth or here in our solar

964
00:32:54,289 --> 00:32:52,380
system a lot quicker very cool unless

965
00:32:56,389 --> 00:32:54,299
it's a techno signature if it's a ticket

966
00:32:58,490 --> 00:32:56,399
in our solar system or anywhere else

967
00:33:01,130 --> 00:32:58,500
then that's much easier that's much

968
00:33:01,730 --> 00:33:01,140
easier you know definitive sign right

969
00:33:04,090 --> 00:33:01,740
um

970
00:33:06,889 --> 00:33:04,100
so let's talk about the future again

971
00:33:08,870 --> 00:33:06,899
what is what is something or some group

972
00:33:11,090 --> 00:33:08,880
of things that that really excite you

973
00:33:12,649 --> 00:33:11,100
right now about the future

974
00:33:14,570 --> 00:33:12,659
yeah I'm

975
00:33:16,490 --> 00:33:14,580
I'm honestly really excited the way that

976
00:33:18,350 --> 00:33:16,500
astrology Community is growing and

977
00:33:20,750 --> 00:33:18,360
accepting more people into it you know I

978
00:33:22,850 --> 00:33:20,760
think that as I'm sure young many young

979
00:33:24,590 --> 00:33:22,860
scientists that are listening in um I

980
00:33:26,509 --> 00:33:24,600
know for myself I was like

981
00:33:27,950 --> 00:33:26,519
all science has been done you know

982
00:33:29,210 --> 00:33:27,960
they've discovered all the planets in

983
00:33:31,070 --> 00:33:29,220
the solar system they know all the

984
00:33:32,930 --> 00:33:31,080
elements who know physics is you know

985
00:33:35,029 --> 00:33:32,940
Dan and Einstein's done and all and I

986
00:33:36,830 --> 00:33:35,039
was like where where's the where's the

987
00:33:38,570 --> 00:33:36,840
new stuff that you know us as young

988
00:33:40,549 --> 00:33:38,580
scientists in this generation can

989
00:33:43,009 --> 00:33:40,559
explore and I really see it in

990
00:33:44,990 --> 00:33:43,019
astrobiology there's like no

991
00:33:47,149 --> 00:33:45,000
um we have no idea what's going on like

992
00:33:48,529 --> 00:33:47,159
it's really around origin of life in

993
00:33:50,509 --> 00:33:48,539
particular but all this kind of stuff

994
00:33:52,909 --> 00:33:50,519
they're finding tens of planets a day

995
00:33:56,630 --> 00:33:52,919
and they're just like you know exploding

996
00:33:58,190 --> 00:33:56,640
and I think astrology could be query

997
00:34:00,289 --> 00:33:58,200
um you know gatekeeping keeping people

998
00:34:01,549 --> 00:34:00,299
out but I see generally very open and

999
00:34:03,230 --> 00:34:01,559
they have these big conferences where

1000
00:34:06,950 --> 00:34:03,240
everyone's invited and that really

1001
00:34:09,889 --> 00:34:06,960
excites me so um yeah yeah I agree yeah

1002
00:34:12,190 --> 00:34:09,899
I will say like absaican it was so great

1003
00:34:13,790 --> 00:34:12,200
to see amongst the younger

1004
00:34:15,470 --> 00:34:13,800
astrobiologists coming to the meeting

1005
00:34:17,210 --> 00:34:15,480
there there's so much diversity so many

1006
00:34:19,129 --> 00:34:17,220
young people who are finding their way

1007
00:34:21,230 --> 00:34:19,139
into the field and finding that you know

1008
00:34:22,909 --> 00:34:21,240
that there are people who are willing to

1009
00:34:25,310 --> 00:34:22,919
open gates for them and help them along

1010
00:34:26,869 --> 00:34:25,320
the way and we certainly need more of

1011
00:34:29,990 --> 00:34:26,879
that we need more people to hold those

1012
00:34:31,369 --> 00:34:30,000
gates open to allow others to realize

1013
00:34:33,290 --> 00:34:31,379
that they belong in this field and the

1014
00:34:34,970 --> 00:34:33,300
field is very open for them

1015
00:34:36,470 --> 00:34:34,980
um some of those older models of what

1016
00:34:38,329 --> 00:34:36,480
science has to be and how it has to be

1017
00:34:40,490 --> 00:34:38,339
conducted it's nice to see some of that

1018
00:34:41,810 --> 00:34:40,500
that ideology kind of passing away a

1019
00:34:43,190 --> 00:34:41,820
little bit

1020
00:34:45,530 --> 00:34:43,200
um so let's let's think about your work

1021
00:34:47,690 --> 00:34:45,540
as a graduate student what is the best

1022
00:34:50,450 --> 00:34:47,700
part of your job

1023
00:34:53,030 --> 00:34:50,460
um honestly I Love Field work like

1024
00:34:55,129 --> 00:34:53,040
um I love getting out into Hot Springs I

1025
00:34:57,890 --> 00:34:55,139
love going to the desert and looking at

1026
00:34:59,210 --> 00:34:57,900
these ancient fossils you know and um it

1027
00:35:01,670 --> 00:34:59,220
really excites me because you know we

1028
00:35:03,470 --> 00:35:01,680
you know and we had the NASA and Esa

1029
00:35:06,170 --> 00:35:03,480
instrument science teens for

1030
00:35:09,410 --> 00:35:06,180
perseverance in the Mars 2020 Rovers um

1031
00:35:11,450 --> 00:35:09,420
out on site in 2019 and watching these

1032
00:35:14,390 --> 00:35:11,460
you know esteemed engineers and

1033
00:35:16,130 --> 00:35:14,400
scientists look at these fossils um

1034
00:35:18,109 --> 00:35:16,140
um you know like a move some of us to

1035
00:35:20,510 --> 00:35:18,119
tears you know it's amazing to see the

1036
00:35:22,130 --> 00:35:20,520
oldest evidence of life in the world you

1037
00:35:23,810 --> 00:35:22,140
know and obviously there's other more

1038
00:35:25,910 --> 00:35:23,820
contentious places like up in Greenland

1039
00:35:27,650 --> 00:35:25,920
and elsewhere but in the pilba in

1040
00:35:29,750 --> 00:35:27,660
Western Australia you can put your

1041
00:35:32,450 --> 00:35:29,760
finger on this rock and say this is as

1042
00:35:34,069 --> 00:35:32,460
far back as we can go uh and I think

1043
00:35:35,630 --> 00:35:34,079
that's that's incredible and being to be

1044
00:35:38,210 --> 00:35:35,640
able to share that with people is really

1045
00:35:39,290 --> 00:35:38,220
really amazing that was very cool and I

1046
00:35:41,329 --> 00:35:39,300
was very much in line with my next

1047
00:35:43,430 --> 00:35:41,339
question which is honestly my favorite

1048
00:35:45,829 --> 00:35:43,440
of this entire segment

1049
00:35:49,490 --> 00:35:45,839
um what is an unbelievable science fact

1050
00:35:51,950 --> 00:35:49,500
that still blows your mind

1051
00:35:54,770 --> 00:35:51,960
no definitely I think one that

1052
00:35:57,770 --> 00:35:54,780
um science coincidence I guess is the

1053
00:35:59,930 --> 00:35:57,780
relative sizes of the Moon to the Sun so

1054
00:36:01,670 --> 00:35:59,940
the moons you know sorry the Sun so much

1055
00:36:03,470 --> 00:36:01,680
further away than the moon but then you

1056
00:36:06,170 --> 00:36:03,480
can have a total eclipse where they end

1057
00:36:08,030 --> 00:36:06,180
up overlapping perfectly and it's just

1058
00:36:10,250 --> 00:36:08,040
this weird coincidence no one's

1059
00:36:12,770 --> 00:36:10,260
explained to me whether it was impacted

1060
00:36:14,630 --> 00:36:12,780
by any kind of um you know there's no

1061
00:36:16,069 --> 00:36:14,640
reason for that and as you know the

1062
00:36:18,349 --> 00:36:16,079
moon's slowly drifting away from Earth

1063
00:36:19,310 --> 00:36:18,359
because of the Collision so at one point

1064
00:36:20,750 --> 00:36:19,320
it's not going to happen but we're

1065
00:36:24,290 --> 00:36:20,760
living in a beautiful time in the world

1066
00:36:26,290 --> 00:36:24,300
where they line up perfectly and um that

1067
00:36:29,270 --> 00:36:26,300
just blows my mind it's insane yeah

1068
00:36:32,750 --> 00:36:29,280
absolutely it's it's striking like we

1069
00:36:34,849 --> 00:36:32,760
live in a very unique era in the age of

1070
00:36:36,950 --> 00:36:34,859
our Earth where we actually can have a

1071
00:36:38,810 --> 00:36:36,960
full solar eclipse

1072
00:36:40,430 --> 00:36:38,820
um you know and they have a short time

1073
00:36:42,589 --> 00:36:40,440
left you know geologically speaking that

1074
00:36:43,609 --> 00:36:42,599
that will be happening so and it's very

1075
00:36:45,230 --> 00:36:43,619
intriguing

1076
00:36:46,670 --> 00:36:45,240
um so thank you very much um I I will

1077
00:36:48,950 --> 00:36:46,680
open it up now to the audience questions

1078
00:36:50,329 --> 00:36:48,960
as well and I thank you so much for our

1079
00:36:51,530 --> 00:36:50,339
audience for asking asking questions if

1080
00:36:54,470 --> 00:36:51,540
you're watching on YouTube right now

1081
00:36:55,730 --> 00:36:54,480
please keep asking questions we're going

1082
00:37:00,849 --> 00:36:55,740
to start with a question from Twitter

1083
00:37:03,950 --> 00:37:00,859
from Ishida Verma at Virginia Verma O2

1084
00:37:06,230 --> 00:37:03,960
Ishida says hi my question is is it

1085
00:37:08,750 --> 00:37:06,240
possible for water in the hot springs to

1086
00:37:11,630 --> 00:37:08,760
get contaminated by pollutants from

1087
00:37:13,250 --> 00:37:11,640
human activities

1088
00:37:17,030 --> 00:37:13,260
um yeah that's a really good question

1089
00:37:19,310 --> 00:37:17,040
and that definitely can happen so in um

1090
00:37:21,349 --> 00:37:19,320
my long muzzled career I actually worked

1091
00:37:23,750 --> 00:37:21,359
as an environmental consultant so I

1092
00:37:26,329 --> 00:37:23,760
spent time looking at how pollution from

1093
00:37:28,370 --> 00:37:26,339
mainly like leaking petrol tanks from

1094
00:37:29,990 --> 00:37:28,380
pfas which is like a firefighting foam

1095
00:37:31,370 --> 00:37:30,000
used in airports can get into

1096
00:37:33,410 --> 00:37:31,380
groundwater

1097
00:37:34,910 --> 00:37:33,420
um it can be a big issue in a lot of

1098
00:37:37,069 --> 00:37:34,920
places

1099
00:37:38,390 --> 00:37:37,079
um definitely in Hot Springs as well one

1100
00:37:41,630 --> 00:37:38,400
interesting thing of Hot Springs as well

1101
00:37:43,370 --> 00:37:41,640
is that because the underground plumbing

1102
00:37:44,930 --> 00:37:43,380
of all these different veins in advance

1103
00:37:46,849 --> 00:37:44,940
getting it towards the surface can be

1104
00:37:49,849 --> 00:37:46,859
quite fragile it's not just you know

1105
00:37:52,490 --> 00:37:49,859
chemical pollution but also um Drilling

1106
00:37:54,710 --> 00:37:52,500
in that area if you remove the pressure

1107
00:37:56,930 --> 00:37:54,720
that's built up of all that water that's

1108
00:37:58,609 --> 00:37:56,940
thin that's water Surface by you know

1109
00:38:01,670 --> 00:37:58,619
extracting that water out somewhere else

1110
00:38:04,430 --> 00:38:01,680
entire Hot Springs shut down and die so

1111
00:38:06,109 --> 00:38:04,440
in New Zealand um they had one kind of

1112
00:38:07,910 --> 00:38:06,119
really sad case of this really early on

1113
00:38:09,470 --> 00:38:07,920
you know 40 50 years ago when they first

1114
00:38:11,630 --> 00:38:09,480
started trying to extract this hot water

1115
00:38:13,550 --> 00:38:11,640
but since then they've got really good

1116
00:38:14,930 --> 00:38:13,560
at figuring out just how much water can

1117
00:38:16,550 --> 00:38:14,940
they take off

1118
00:38:18,109 --> 00:38:16,560
um you know and use it for energy or use

1119
00:38:20,150 --> 00:38:18,119
that steam to do all the different kinds

1120
00:38:21,890 --> 00:38:20,160
of things or extract you know minerals

1121
00:38:23,329 --> 00:38:21,900
out of that water but still preserving

1122
00:38:25,130 --> 00:38:23,339
those hot springs I'm not saying that

1123
00:38:27,230 --> 00:38:25,140
all kinds of

1124
00:38:29,870 --> 00:38:27,240
um drilling or you know human

1125
00:38:31,609 --> 00:38:29,880
contamination can be bad just to be very

1126
00:38:33,349 --> 00:38:31,619
careful with it and be very

1127
00:38:34,910 --> 00:38:33,359
um particular about how you work in

1128
00:38:37,370 --> 00:38:34,920
those spaces because they are fragile

1129
00:38:39,230 --> 00:38:37,380
and really beautiful yeah absolutely and

1130
00:38:41,630 --> 00:38:39,240
honestly like you know a scientist we

1131
00:38:43,609 --> 00:38:41,640
have to be aware that you know it's not

1132
00:38:45,349 --> 00:38:43,619
just all of life on Earth I can tell you

1133
00:38:46,670 --> 00:38:45,359
my samples it's us too

1134
00:38:48,349 --> 00:38:46,680
um you know I was a graduate student I

1135
00:38:50,450 --> 00:38:48,359
pulled out my beard hairs and ran them

1136
00:38:52,670 --> 00:38:50,460
on every single instrument that I had in

1137
00:38:54,290 --> 00:38:52,680
the laboratory just to make sure that I

1138
00:38:55,370 --> 00:38:54,300
wasn't contaminating samples with beard

1139
00:38:57,710 --> 00:38:55,380
hair

1140
00:38:59,810 --> 00:38:57,720
um and then in the U.S like places like

1141
00:39:01,490 --> 00:38:59,820
up in Yellowstone National Park has some

1142
00:39:03,470 --> 00:39:01,500
of the most you know just amazing hot

1143
00:39:04,970 --> 00:39:03,480
springs on the planet and yet you know

1144
00:39:06,290 --> 00:39:04,980
you see garbage for you know from people

1145
00:39:07,849 --> 00:39:06,300
walking on these boardwalks and just

1146
00:39:09,410 --> 00:39:07,859
throwing their garbage off into these

1147
00:39:12,589 --> 00:39:09,420
hot springs and it's it's very

1148
00:39:13,910 --> 00:39:12,599
frustrating as a scientist happening but

1149
00:39:15,890 --> 00:39:13,920
we also have to know that we had it's

1150
00:39:17,930 --> 00:39:15,900
very difficult to disentangle sometimes

1151
00:39:20,030 --> 00:39:17,940
those signals from what we're looking at

1152
00:39:22,250 --> 00:39:20,040
and so it is good to collect some data

1153
00:39:25,190 --> 00:39:22,260
sometimes of those other things

1154
00:39:26,510 --> 00:39:25,200
um yeah so I agree entirely yeah it's a

1155
00:39:28,310 --> 00:39:26,520
great little anecdote on that and I

1156
00:39:29,270 --> 00:39:28,320
think this is great for anyone doing

1157
00:39:31,010 --> 00:39:29,280
science

1158
00:39:33,589 --> 00:39:31,020
um we had a geology Professor here at

1159
00:39:35,270 --> 00:39:33,599
Uni that was trying to sample gold in

1160
00:39:36,170 --> 00:39:35,280
Cyprus so this is like an island in you

1161
00:39:38,569 --> 00:39:36,180
know the

1162
00:39:40,609 --> 00:39:38,579
um Mediterranean and they had you're

1163
00:39:42,109 --> 00:39:40,619
collecting soil samples and rock samples

1164
00:39:43,849 --> 00:39:42,119
from all over the you know hundreds and

1165
00:39:45,770 --> 00:39:43,859
hundreds of samples and there was one

1166
00:39:48,109 --> 00:39:45,780
geologist who would always find the

1167
00:39:50,030 --> 00:39:48,119
mouse crazy amounts of gold in all of

1168
00:39:51,890 --> 00:39:50,040
their rocks and it ended up they didn't

1169
00:39:53,270 --> 00:39:51,900
take their gold wedding ring off and it

1170
00:39:55,069 --> 00:39:53,280
was rubbing on all the rocks that they

1171
00:39:57,050 --> 00:39:55,079
picked up and they just got these insane

1172
00:39:58,490 --> 00:39:57,060
amount of spikes and I think that's a

1173
00:40:00,829 --> 00:39:58,500
really nice anecdote I always tell

1174
00:40:02,510 --> 00:40:00,839
because you know the way the clothes you

1175
00:40:05,210 --> 00:40:02,520
wear the way you pick up a rock anything

1176
00:40:06,290 --> 00:40:05,220
like that can um bias your science and

1177
00:40:08,329 --> 00:40:06,300
you've got to be aware of that when

1178
00:40:09,829 --> 00:40:08,339
you're trying to you know figure out how

1179
00:40:13,010 --> 00:40:09,839
to do science without that kind of

1180
00:40:15,050 --> 00:40:13,020
contamination yeah absolutely it's true

1181
00:40:16,730 --> 00:40:15,060
for like Mars now for for collecting and

1182
00:40:18,170 --> 00:40:16,740
sending samples back from Mars right now

1183
00:40:20,450 --> 00:40:18,180
with perseverance it's an issue we have

1184
00:40:21,650 --> 00:40:20,460
to consider contamination if we find

1185
00:40:23,690 --> 00:40:21,660
things that look like they could be life

1186
00:40:24,890 --> 00:40:23,700
is it Earth life is it contamination

1187
00:40:27,589 --> 00:40:24,900
from the laboratory those are very

1188
00:40:29,569 --> 00:40:27,599
important questions as well

1189
00:40:32,150 --> 00:40:29,579
so our next question for you Luke comes

1190
00:40:35,750 --> 00:40:32,160
again from Twitter uh this from from Dr

1191
00:40:38,210 --> 00:40:35,760
Jim pass uh at astrosocialology gym pass

1192
00:40:40,910 --> 00:40:38,220
is the the founder and director of the

1193
00:40:42,290 --> 00:40:40,920
Astro sociology Research Institute and

1194
00:40:44,329 --> 00:40:42,300
he loves to watch our show he usually

1195
00:40:47,810 --> 00:40:44,339
asks questions related to the humanities

1196
00:40:50,210 --> 00:40:47,820
and sociology of astrobiology so Jim's

1197
00:40:51,589 --> 00:40:50,220
question is this uh since scientists

1198
00:40:53,690 --> 00:40:51,599
still disagree about the definition of

1199
00:40:55,849 --> 00:40:53,700
life on Earth how does that increase the

1200
00:40:58,069 --> 00:40:55,859
difficulty of isolating extraterrestrial

1201
00:40:59,750 --> 00:40:58,079
life beyond Earth and how do the social

1202
00:41:01,730 --> 00:40:59,760
sciences and Humanities contribute to

1203
00:41:04,310 --> 00:41:01,740
this difficulty

1204
00:41:06,650 --> 00:41:04,320
um no definitely I think that's um a

1205
00:41:08,150 --> 00:41:06,660
great question I've been I follow Jim on

1206
00:41:08,990 --> 00:41:08,160
Twitter as well and I love the way they

1207
00:41:10,430 --> 00:41:09,000
view

1208
00:41:12,950 --> 00:41:10,440
um the importance of these Humanities

1209
00:41:15,069 --> 00:41:12,960
and sociology in the work we do

1210
00:41:17,630 --> 00:41:15,079
um so firstly on the definition for life

1211
00:41:19,190 --> 00:41:17,640
uh definitely you know NASA's got its

1212
00:41:20,930 --> 00:41:19,200
definition that they came up with but

1213
00:41:23,390 --> 00:41:20,940
there's obviously um issues with that

1214
00:41:25,310 --> 00:41:23,400
and it's always a fun part of any you

1215
00:41:27,770 --> 00:41:25,320
know intro to astrology course it's like

1216
00:41:29,630 --> 00:41:27,780
well if life has to be

1217
00:41:32,150 --> 00:41:29,640
um reproducing or you know being able to

1218
00:41:33,530 --> 00:41:32,160
replicate what about a sterile mule or

1219
00:41:35,510 --> 00:41:33,540
you know like what about this or that

1220
00:41:37,670 --> 00:41:35,520
like you can always have fun um ways

1221
00:41:39,950 --> 00:41:37,680
thinking about that kind of stuff

1222
00:41:42,470 --> 00:41:39,960
um I

1223
00:41:44,390 --> 00:41:42,480
think that the sociology and Humanities

1224
00:41:46,609 --> 00:41:44,400
can come into play with that because I

1225
00:41:47,870 --> 00:41:46,619
think artists and people working in

1226
00:41:51,470 --> 00:41:47,880
those social space they're a lot better

1227
00:41:53,750 --> 00:41:51,480
holding multiple and sometimes opposing

1228
00:41:55,250 --> 00:41:53,760
ideas you know you think you go to an

1229
00:41:58,370 --> 00:41:55,260
artist you go to someone studying

1230
00:42:00,170 --> 00:41:58,380
sociology or like philosophy and there's

1231
00:42:02,270 --> 00:42:00,180
all these different ideas and I have to

1232
00:42:04,370 --> 00:42:02,280
take them in and there's someone's more

1233
00:42:07,190 --> 00:42:04,380
than one answer or maybe the answers are

1234
00:42:08,510 --> 00:42:07,200
unsolvable and I think the way that they

1235
00:42:10,430 --> 00:42:08,520
can hold that information is very broad

1236
00:42:12,050 --> 00:42:10,440
whereas a scientist you know it's very

1237
00:42:13,310 --> 00:42:12,060
much reduction it's like what's the one

1238
00:42:14,990 --> 00:42:13,320
single answer like what is the

1239
00:42:17,390 --> 00:42:15,000
definition what can I write down in my

1240
00:42:18,950 --> 00:42:17,400
little book you know and I think that as

1241
00:42:20,690 --> 00:42:18,960
scientists we have a lot to learn from

1242
00:42:23,210 --> 00:42:20,700
sociologists and from other people

1243
00:42:25,970 --> 00:42:23,220
outside of our field and learning how to

1244
00:42:27,790 --> 00:42:25,980
hold that Nuance because you know we may

1245
00:42:30,589 --> 00:42:27,800
find life that is totally

1246
00:42:32,270 --> 00:42:30,599
uncomprehendable you know we may be

1247
00:42:34,910 --> 00:42:32,280
looking at it not even know what it is

1248
00:42:35,630 --> 00:42:34,920
you know and I think that

1249
00:42:40,010 --> 00:42:35,640
um

1250
00:42:42,109 --> 00:42:40,020
has to offer especially arts and social

1251
00:42:43,910 --> 00:42:42,119
sciences to get around those kind of

1252
00:42:45,950 --> 00:42:43,920
interesting problems

1253
00:42:48,010 --> 00:42:45,960
yeah absolutely

1254
00:42:50,990 --> 00:42:48,020
um our next question comes from aruniver

1255
00:42:52,370 --> 00:42:51,000
who's now watching on YouTube it's very

1256
00:42:54,109 --> 00:42:52,380
similar to our previous question so

1257
00:42:55,370 --> 00:42:54,119
aruniverse says uh different

1258
00:42:56,750 --> 00:42:55,380
contaminants have been found in

1259
00:42:59,569 --> 00:42:56,760
environments like in the Arctic and

1260
00:43:02,089 --> 00:42:59,579
Antarctic which also host analog sites

1261
00:43:04,010 --> 00:43:02,099
uh can these contaminants affect your

1262
00:43:05,809 --> 00:43:04,020
research on Hot Springs

1263
00:43:07,010 --> 00:43:05,819
um and so I'm going to extrapolate a bit

1264
00:43:08,950 --> 00:43:07,020
more from that too since we've already

1265
00:43:11,990 --> 00:43:08,960
discussed contamination from a human

1266
00:43:13,309 --> 00:43:12,000
behaviors I'm also curious you know for

1267
00:43:14,329 --> 00:43:13,319
the hot spring sites that you've studied

1268
00:43:17,390 --> 00:43:14,339
and maybe even those that you haven't

1269
00:43:18,470 --> 00:43:17,400
but you you kind of know of well not

1270
00:43:20,930 --> 00:43:18,480
just issues with like human

1271
00:43:23,329 --> 00:43:20,940
contamination but like geological change

1272
00:43:24,650 --> 00:43:23,339
through time do you think we're missing

1273
00:43:26,809 --> 00:43:24,660
anything when it comes to our

1274
00:43:28,910 --> 00:43:26,819
understanding of Hot Springs especially

1275
00:43:29,990 --> 00:43:28,920
ancient Hot Springs maybe you know maybe

1276
00:43:31,309 --> 00:43:30,000
they're under a different temperature

1277
00:43:33,770 --> 00:43:31,319
regime than we really can understand

1278
00:43:35,510 --> 00:43:33,780
because you know magmas were or hotter

1279
00:43:36,829 --> 00:43:35,520
in the early Earth history and things

1280
00:43:39,410 --> 00:43:36,839
like that is there anything you think

1281
00:43:41,030 --> 00:43:39,420
specifically in hot spring research that

1282
00:43:42,890 --> 00:43:41,040
we're missing out on

1283
00:43:46,190 --> 00:43:42,900
um yeah no that's a really good um

1284
00:43:48,170 --> 00:43:46,200
question yeah thanks to that so that's a

1285
00:43:50,630 --> 00:43:48,180
um a concept that we come up with a lot

1286
00:43:52,490 --> 00:43:50,640
because basically you know where I study

1287
00:43:54,230 --> 00:43:52,500
a modern hot spring and I think hey how

1288
00:43:55,849 --> 00:43:54,240
can we apply this to

1289
00:43:58,250 --> 00:43:55,859
um our understanding of how life formed

1290
00:43:59,990 --> 00:43:58,260
on Earth four billion years ago but Hot

1291
00:44:01,430 --> 00:44:00,000
Springs would have changed massively you

1292
00:44:03,589 --> 00:44:01,440
know and I think that's a lot of the

1293
00:44:05,150 --> 00:44:03,599
research we do is how would these Hot

1294
00:44:07,069 --> 00:44:05,160
Springs looked

1295
00:44:08,510 --> 00:44:07,079
um with early life so we can go back to

1296
00:44:10,609 --> 00:44:08,520
you know three and a half billion years

1297
00:44:11,630 --> 00:44:10,619
ago and see hot springs they did have

1298
00:44:13,370 --> 00:44:11,640
life in them but it was just

1299
00:44:15,589 --> 00:44:13,380
stromatolites are just very simple you

1300
00:44:17,270 --> 00:44:15,599
know a little microbial mats and that

1301
00:44:19,190 --> 00:44:17,280
kind of stuff and then going back from

1302
00:44:21,109 --> 00:44:19,200
there so that's some research that um

1303
00:44:23,030 --> 00:44:21,119
I'm about to publish at the moment is

1304
00:44:25,670 --> 00:44:23,040
all around looking at

1305
00:44:27,710 --> 00:44:25,680
how would Prebiotic Organics so that's

1306
00:44:30,170 --> 00:44:27,720
organic molecules before the Earth

1307
00:44:31,609 --> 00:44:30,180
formed life impacted these hot springs

1308
00:44:33,470 --> 00:44:31,619
and you know there would have been

1309
00:44:34,970 --> 00:44:33,480
meteorites dropping all kinds of

1310
00:44:36,410 --> 00:44:34,980
Organics down in Earth and all other

1311
00:44:38,510 --> 00:44:36,420
kinds of

1312
00:44:40,730 --> 00:44:38,520
um you know Fisher trough synthesis like

1313
00:44:42,650 --> 00:44:40,740
Organics being cooked Up From Below in

1314
00:44:44,690 --> 00:44:42,660
these Hot Springs how would that make

1315
00:44:46,910 --> 00:44:44,700
different minerals more or less soluble

1316
00:44:48,890 --> 00:44:46,920
how would that make different

1317
00:44:50,690 --> 00:44:48,900
um rocks form you know if there's all

1318
00:44:52,250 --> 00:44:50,700
these you know sugars of ribose or

1319
00:44:54,349 --> 00:44:52,260
carbohydrates or proteins floating

1320
00:44:56,690 --> 00:44:54,359
around and then again you know when you

1321
00:44:58,670 --> 00:44:56,700
look at these um great experiments like

1322
00:45:01,130 --> 00:44:58,680
um Dave Dima pouring a cup of Prebiotic

1323
00:45:02,510 --> 00:45:01,140
soup into a hot spring up in kamchako

1324
00:45:05,630 --> 00:45:02,520
and Russia and seeing what comes out

1325
00:45:08,030 --> 00:45:05,640
obviously there's all kinds of cells and

1326
00:45:10,250 --> 00:45:08,040
Organics and things in there as well and

1327
00:45:12,109 --> 00:45:10,260
um I they would definitely skew your

1328
00:45:13,309 --> 00:45:12,119
information you know how much so we

1329
00:45:15,470 --> 00:45:13,319
don't know yet that's definitely

1330
00:45:17,329 --> 00:45:15,480
something to consider so yeah the

1331
00:45:18,530 --> 00:45:17,339
impacts of Modern Life will definitely

1332
00:45:21,050 --> 00:45:18,540
change what we're looking at and it's

1333
00:45:22,010 --> 00:45:21,060
important to remember that interesting

1334
00:45:23,569 --> 00:45:22,020
yeah

1335
00:45:25,670 --> 00:45:23,579
um our next question comes from a

1336
00:45:28,309 --> 00:45:25,680
previous guest uh Bruce damer is

1337
00:45:30,950 --> 00:45:28,319
watching on YouTube right now and he has

1338
00:45:32,870 --> 00:45:30,960
a pretty funny question he says what do

1339
00:45:36,470 --> 00:45:32,880
you think about the idea of a protocell

1340
00:45:39,230 --> 00:45:36,480
superhero uh it asked the deepest common

1341
00:45:41,329 --> 00:45:39,240
ancestor as a comic book character maybe

1342
00:45:42,650 --> 00:45:41,339
fighting all forces of degradation and

1343
00:45:45,890 --> 00:45:42,660
the second law of Thermodynamics to

1344
00:45:48,829 --> 00:45:47,390
um I love that and I think that's you

1345
00:45:50,870 --> 00:45:48,839
know I've

1346
00:45:53,210 --> 00:45:50,880
um had the great privilege of working uh

1347
00:45:55,849 --> 00:45:53,220
with Bruce and Dave scientifically but I

1348
00:45:57,890 --> 00:45:55,859
also um when I was over at the um

1349
00:45:59,750 --> 00:45:57,900
University of California in Santa Cruz

1350
00:46:01,910 --> 00:45:59,760
doing my little you know placement there

1351
00:46:04,250 --> 00:46:01,920
for my PhD I got to stay with Bruce so

1352
00:46:06,710 --> 00:46:04,260
we had all these amazing fun

1353
00:46:08,809 --> 00:46:06,720
um wacky conversations about the world

1354
00:46:11,809 --> 00:46:08,819
and Science and everything so um always

1355
00:46:14,690 --> 00:46:11,819
great ideas like the um protocell

1356
00:46:16,790 --> 00:46:14,700
superhero I know NASA does a comic book

1357
00:46:18,829 --> 00:46:16,800
series um and it's really around the

1358
00:46:20,150 --> 00:46:18,839
formation of the science and the people

1359
00:46:21,770 --> 00:46:20,160
involved

1360
00:46:23,510 --> 00:46:21,780
um and actually I met I forget their

1361
00:46:25,790 --> 00:46:23,520
name but I met them at abscicond they're

1362
00:46:26,930 --> 00:46:25,800
graphic artists who um draws them in

1363
00:46:29,030 --> 00:46:26,940
their brilliant artist and a really

1364
00:46:31,690 --> 00:46:29,040
interesting person maybe we can make

1365
00:46:33,650 --> 00:46:31,700
some yeah like hot spring

1366
00:46:35,930 --> 00:46:33,660
superheroes I don't know maybe there's

1367
00:46:39,410 --> 00:46:35,940
something there we can um get involved

1368
00:46:41,930 --> 00:46:39,420
in yeah I I have I have to grab one off

1369
00:46:44,690 --> 00:46:41,940
my wall here I happen to have the most

1370
00:46:48,950 --> 00:46:44,700
recent issue of the astrobiology graphic

1371
00:46:51,490 --> 00:46:48,960
histories from Dr Aaron gronstall so uh

1372
00:46:54,410 --> 00:46:51,500
Aaron is not just a comic book artist

1373
00:46:56,270 --> 00:46:54,420
he's also a PhD geochemist

1374
00:46:58,849 --> 00:46:56,280
um and so you know it's interesting that

1375
00:47:00,829 --> 00:46:58,859
you know Aaron also like many of us has

1376
00:47:02,329 --> 00:47:00,839
these other facets of his career not

1377
00:47:04,730 --> 00:47:02,339
just being in geochemistry and

1378
00:47:07,970 --> 00:47:04,740
astrobiology he's also an incredible

1379
00:47:09,109 --> 00:47:07,980
artist and so our next question comes

1380
00:47:11,569 --> 00:47:09,119
from one of our production assistants

1381
00:47:14,329 --> 00:47:11,579
and actually ties into this very well uh

1382
00:47:17,030 --> 00:47:14,339
honor of mahanti uh has asked that

1383
00:47:18,410 --> 00:47:17,040
connecting science with stand-up comedy

1384
00:47:20,030 --> 00:47:18,420
um sounds a lot like stepping out of

1385
00:47:21,410 --> 00:47:20,040
your comfort zone

1386
00:47:22,970 --> 00:47:21,420
um and you know maybe in some ways it's

1387
00:47:24,349 --> 00:47:22,980
like stepping from you know geochemistry

1388
00:47:26,690 --> 00:47:24,359
into artwork

1389
00:47:28,849 --> 00:47:26,700
um and things like that so honorrup asks

1390
00:47:30,710 --> 00:47:28,859
what are some other areas that you want

1391
00:47:31,790 --> 00:47:30,720
to explore

1392
00:47:34,690 --> 00:47:31,800
um and that you would recommend other

1393
00:47:36,290 --> 00:47:34,700
scientists maybe explore as well

1394
00:47:38,990 --> 00:47:36,300
interesting

1395
00:47:41,150 --> 00:47:39,000
um and so firstly yes it was the most

1396
00:47:44,270 --> 00:47:41,160
terrifying thing I've done in my entire

1397
00:47:46,069 --> 00:47:44,280
life like stand-up comedy was

1398
00:47:48,170 --> 00:47:46,079
um horrendously

1399
00:47:50,450 --> 00:47:48,180
um yeah just like the stage fright was

1400
00:47:52,190 --> 00:47:50,460
so real but also so exciting and having

1401
00:47:55,069 --> 00:47:52,200
all these people laugh at your jokes and

1402
00:47:56,750 --> 00:47:55,079
applaud and it was um yeah exhilarating

1403
00:47:58,309 --> 00:47:56,760
I guess is a way to describe it no but

1404
00:48:00,109 --> 00:47:58,319
definitely I had to step out of my

1405
00:48:01,490 --> 00:48:00,119
comfort zone for that

1406
00:48:03,770 --> 00:48:01,500
um I think that's quite a personal

1407
00:48:05,690 --> 00:48:03,780
question so I'd say firstly for other

1408
00:48:08,329 --> 00:48:05,700
scientists out there I don't want to

1409
00:48:10,370 --> 00:48:08,339
tell you what you know passion or hobby

1410
00:48:11,990 --> 00:48:10,380
to link up together that's up to you you

1411
00:48:14,870 --> 00:48:12,000
know like what excites you do you really

1412
00:48:16,370 --> 00:48:14,880
enjoy cooking do you really enjoy

1413
00:48:18,349 --> 00:48:16,380
um a sport do you really enjoy what

1414
00:48:20,390 --> 00:48:18,359
other hobbies that interests you

1415
00:48:23,270 --> 00:48:20,400
um I think that's where you should be

1416
00:48:24,710 --> 00:48:23,280
excited because I think the reason these

1417
00:48:25,849 --> 00:48:24,720
things work the reason that the Comedy

1418
00:48:28,010 --> 00:48:25,859
Works so well is because I was

1419
00:48:29,390 --> 00:48:28,020
passionate about it and I would get up

1420
00:48:30,589 --> 00:48:29,400
there and I would apply for funding and

1421
00:48:31,790 --> 00:48:30,599
I would convince people and I would

1422
00:48:33,890 --> 00:48:31,800
really I'll get on the phone and call

1423
00:48:35,329 --> 00:48:33,900
venues and I'm like hey you need us

1424
00:48:37,490 --> 00:48:35,339
there because we're gonna blow your

1425
00:48:39,410 --> 00:48:37,500
socks off you know like and I think if I

1426
00:48:40,910 --> 00:48:39,420
wasn't driven by it if I was just trying

1427
00:48:42,230 --> 00:48:40,920
to find

1428
00:48:43,970 --> 00:48:42,240
um practically just a way to do my

1429
00:48:45,349 --> 00:48:43,980
science communication better it wouldn't

1430
00:48:47,990 --> 00:48:45,359
have worked so I definitely think you

1431
00:48:48,890 --> 00:48:48,000
need that personal passion um for myself

1432
00:48:51,589 --> 00:48:48,900
I'm actually really interested in

1433
00:48:53,270 --> 00:48:51,599
exploring dance more I'm really um I

1434
00:48:55,250 --> 00:48:53,280
love dancing

1435
00:48:57,109 --> 00:48:55,260
um you know either at a club or you know

1436
00:48:58,970 --> 00:48:57,119
I do a little bit of like contemporary

1437
00:49:00,410 --> 00:48:58,980
dance and like kind of like very

1438
00:49:01,849 --> 00:49:00,420
embodied

1439
00:49:04,309 --> 00:49:01,859
um movement and kind of figuring out

1440
00:49:06,890 --> 00:49:04,319
what my body does and reacts to stuff

1441
00:49:08,630 --> 00:49:06,900
yoga all that kind of movement practices

1442
00:49:11,690 --> 00:49:08,640
um so yeah maybe when I've got more time

1443
00:49:13,910 --> 00:49:11,700
after my PhD I might um yeah look more

1444
00:49:15,290 --> 00:49:13,920
into dance and how that kind of infects

1445
00:49:18,109 --> 00:49:15,300
the way that I think about the world

1446
00:49:19,609 --> 00:49:18,119
that yeah who knows oh that's groovy

1447
00:49:21,290 --> 00:49:19,619
yeah I mean I love dancing myself who

1448
00:49:24,589 --> 00:49:21,300
knows maybe we'll create our own Dance

1449
00:49:26,569 --> 00:49:24,599
troupe the dancing astrobiologist

1450
00:49:27,710 --> 00:49:26,579
um so here's here's another fun joke for

1451
00:49:30,650 --> 00:49:27,720
our viewers

1452
00:49:32,809 --> 00:49:30,660
um so tell me why are geologists good at

1453
00:50:03,530 --> 00:49:32,819
stand-up comedy

1454
00:50:07,490 --> 00:50:05,450
yeah definitely so I think the best way

1455
00:50:09,829 --> 00:50:07,500
to track me down is on Twitter so if you

1456
00:50:11,329 --> 00:50:09,839
go to add Stellar underscore Luke I'll

1457
00:50:12,589 --> 00:50:11,339
pop up and I hope I'm being tagged in

1458
00:50:13,910 --> 00:50:12,599
all the stuff that Graham's doing as

1459
00:50:15,230 --> 00:50:13,920
well as you should see me on their

1460
00:50:17,030 --> 00:50:15,240
Twitter feed

1461
00:50:19,490 --> 00:50:17,040
um I've got a website as well Luke

1462
00:50:21,829 --> 00:50:19,500
stella.com if you want to check me out

1463
00:50:24,230 --> 00:50:21,839
um that's Stella with an ER I'm like one

1464
00:50:26,569 --> 00:50:24,240
Val off being a true uh Stellar

1465
00:50:29,390 --> 00:50:26,579
researcher but um I'm getting there that

1466
00:50:31,430 --> 00:50:29,400
yeah definitely um send me a message

1467
00:50:33,829 --> 00:50:31,440
um my you know academic emails out there

1468
00:50:35,750 --> 00:50:33,839
on the interweb somewhere so um hit me

1469
00:50:37,550 --> 00:50:35,760
up if you've got any questions or you'd

1470
00:50:38,750 --> 00:50:37,560
love to think about how to do comedy

1471
00:50:39,770 --> 00:50:38,760
where you live and what you're getting

1472
00:50:42,230 --> 00:50:39,780
into

1473
00:50:44,510 --> 00:50:42,240
um always Keen for a chat I love it so

1474
00:50:46,910 --> 00:50:44,520
much I will admit I'm a amongst those

1475
00:50:48,910 --> 00:50:46,920
who misspelled your name at first I

1476
00:50:51,290 --> 00:50:48,920
thought it was also the AR not the ER

1477
00:50:53,150 --> 00:50:51,300
but I say you are a very Stellar

1478
00:50:54,650 --> 00:50:53,160
scientist and science communicator and

1479
00:50:56,270 --> 00:50:54,660
comedian now

1480
00:50:58,190 --> 00:50:56,280
um and so you know it's been such a

1481
00:50:59,990 --> 00:50:58,200
pleasure having you on the show Luke I'm

1482
00:51:01,430 --> 00:51:00,000
so glad you could join us here

1483
00:51:03,290 --> 00:51:01,440
um and who knows what the future holds

1484
00:51:04,849 --> 00:51:03,300
maybe in the future we'll become the

1485
00:51:06,109 --> 00:51:04,859
dancing astrobiologist and then we'll

1486
00:51:08,170 --> 00:51:06,119
have to have an episode of the show just

1487
00:51:10,130 --> 00:51:08,180
to talk about that

1488
00:51:11,329 --> 00:51:10,140
that'd be brilliant yeah thank you so

1489
00:51:12,829 --> 00:51:11,339
much for having me and for all your

1490
00:51:14,930 --> 00:51:12,839
listeners out there it's been a lot of

1491
00:51:16,970 --> 00:51:14,940
fun awesome well for those of you who

1492
00:51:19,670 --> 00:51:16,980
want to stay in the loop on upcoming

1493
00:51:22,730 --> 00:51:19,680
episodes of our show or learn more about

1494
00:51:23,870 --> 00:51:22,740
opportunities from NASA astrobiology you

1495
00:51:25,609 --> 00:51:23,880
can use the link that we're going to

1496
00:51:27,770 --> 00:51:25,619
show on your screen to sign up for the

1497
00:51:29,270 --> 00:51:27,780
official mailing list for NASA

1498
00:51:31,089 --> 00:51:29,280
astrobiology

1499
00:51:33,470 --> 00:51:31,099
um you can always tune into the website

1500
00:51:35,030 --> 00:51:33,480
astrobiology.nasa.gov to learn more uh

1501
00:51:36,470 --> 00:51:35,040
thank you very much to Luke Stellar for

1502
00:51:38,809 --> 00:51:36,480
joining us thanks to the audience for

1503
00:51:40,609 --> 00:51:38,819
tuning in and watching and thanks

1504
00:51:43,630 --> 00:51:40,619
everyone uh everywhere in the world for

1505
00:51:49,130 --> 00:51:43,640
joining until next time stay curious

1506
00:51:50,310 --> 00:51:49,140
[Music]

1507
00:52:19,250 --> 00:51:50,320
foreign

1508
00:52:20,460 --> 00:52:19,260
[Music]