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so what i'll focus on today is the

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content of my book which you can see in

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the middle of this slide

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extraterrestrial and if i had to

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summarize it with one sentence i would

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say

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when you are not ready to find

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exceptional things

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you would never discover them

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and what you see on the right is

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the cover of a textbook that

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i published a few months ago uh with

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harvard university press together with

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my former postdoc manasville lingam it

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has more than a thousand pages of

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material

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that serves as the foundation for the

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search for life which is one of the most

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exciting frontiers in science

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and what you see on the left is a

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photograph of a photograph

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taken by the german photographer her

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linda quillbell

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who presented it at an exhibit an

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exhibit

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on the walls of the berlin brandberg

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academy of science and humanities in

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october 2020

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and she asked me to write on the palm of

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my hand the question that i regard is

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most significant in science

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which is

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actually a few weeks ago i was contacted

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by a rabbi

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during the high holidays

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of the jewish religion and

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he told me that he plans to speak

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about my book extraterrestrial and

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wrote a sermon about it on his website

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and

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as a result

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a colleague of mine said next time we

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meet for dinner my wife and i will ask

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you to give us a sermon

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i mean that i realized as a result of

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this that actually what i discuss is of

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existential importance that people can

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connect to religious beliefs

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my reply to my colleague was

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that i would never lead the congregation

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and actually a few weeks ago the

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congress called for a permanent office

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to address unidentified aerial phenomena

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these are objects whose nature is

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unclear

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now what i've learned over several

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decades of practicing astronomy is a

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sense of cosmic modesty

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and i say that because you know if you

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look back in history humans tended to

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think that the play

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is about us in fact i have an essay in

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medium just about that was published

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this morning

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but the play the cosmic play is not

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about us we are not at the center of the

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universe like the ancient greek

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philosopher aristotle argued

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and about half of the sun-like stars

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have a planet the size of the earth

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roughly the same separation

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so

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moreover what we find in our backyard is

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not unique or special there are more

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habitable earths

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in the observable volume of the universe

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then there are grains of sand

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on all beaches on earth

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and when i see a painting like this one

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of an emperor standing

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very proud of himself because he

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conquered a piece of land here on earth

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that doesn't impress me because it's not

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very different

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from an ant

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hugging a single grain of sand on the

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landscape of a huge beach

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but i can understand where it's coming

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from when my daughters were young

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they tended to think very highly of

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themselves because they compared

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themselves to family members

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at home

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and when we took them to the

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kindergarten they found other kids that

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may be smarter than they are

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and of course that changed their

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perspective

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so the only way for our civilization to

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mature

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is to meet others

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and

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one thing we know by observing the sky

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is that most of the stars form billions

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of years before the sun

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we can monitor the star formation

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history of the universe

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and that means that given the fact that

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half of the sun-like stars have a planet

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the size of the earth the same

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separation

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it means that

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there could have been a civilization as

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mature as we are or more than that

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technologically a billion years ago

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and if they developed artificial

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intelligence systems like we do

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where these systems are currently

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driving cars and in the future they'll

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make medical decisions they can become

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autonomous

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they will not need guidance from us all

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they will need is an early phase of

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machine learning

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and we can think of them as our

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technological kids that we educate early

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on and then send to the world

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and that means we can send them to space

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so far we send only relatively dumb

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machines to space

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the perseverance rover is just a robot

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operated by people at jpl

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but you can imagine sending

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an ai system

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equipped with

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3d printing capabilities so that it can

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repair damaged components and it can

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operate autonomously without needing any

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guidance from earth and that's very

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useful when you go very far away because

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even the nearest star is four light

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years away takes four years for light to

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traverse the distance to the nearest

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star that means that such a system

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cannot really wait to get guidance from

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us in order to decide what to do

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but if we can imagine sending systems

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like that

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then another civilization that's

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predated us by a billion years may have

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done so already

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and a billion years is enough to

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populate the entire milky way galaxy

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so are we

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living in such a reality that's not a

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philosophical

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question

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and we should not repeat the mistake

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that philosophers

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made four decades four centuries ago

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when they refused to look through

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galileo's telescope

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and they argued that the sun moves

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around the earth

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and that only maintained their ignorance

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today they would have

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and so the lesson from that is that we

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should find the answers through

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telescopes and that's the objective of

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the galileo project that i established

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in july this year

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thanks to

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donations

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up to

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two million dollars from people that

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visited the porch of my home after

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reading my book extraterrestrial they

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decided to support my research and if i

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had to define this project i would say

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extraordinary conservatism leads to

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extraordinary

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ignorance so

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we should look out

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we've been searching for example for

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dark matter for four

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decades without finding it

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hundreds of millions of dollars

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if we now engage for the first time with

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the galileo project in searching for

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equipment

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sent by other civilizations that we can

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find near earth

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and just imagine us searching for four

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decades 40 years and spending hundreds

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of millions of dollars

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if we don't find anything at the end of

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these four decades we will be exactly at

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the same point as the people in the

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mainstream of astronomy that are

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searching for dark matter exactly at the

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same point that they are now because

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they already spend those funds and they

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already spent 40 years

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and why is this subject not funded

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that's what the galileo project is

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trying to fix to change

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we plan to look through new telescopes

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it's not a speculative notion to imagine

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that the technological civilization like

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and we sent out voyager new horizons to

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space

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now

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the galileo project has two major tracks

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one is to find objects near earth in the

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earth's atmosphere

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and one thing to realize in the context

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of that is that a meter size telescope

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can obtain a megapixel image

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an image that has a million pixels

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of a human size object

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at a distance

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and you can buy such a telescope on the

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web online i just found it a few weeks

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ago you can click add to the bag

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and it costs half a million dollars

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so apparently there are people willing

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to add it to their bag for half a

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million dollars

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now

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the goal is to obtain a high resolution

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image of an unidentified aerial

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phenomena

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using multiple detectors both in the

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infrared the optical perhaps using radar

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systems

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and if you get a high resolution image a

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megapixel image

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you could in principle

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distinguish a label

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saying

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made on exoplanet y

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from a label saying made in china or

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which would not be very interesting for

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me as a scientist i don't care much

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about birds if we see a bird i'll be

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glad to transfer the high resolution

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image of a bird to a zoologist

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and a human-made object would be as

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we look for something else it's a

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fishing expedition

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we might find that we have nothing

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unusual that would so be it that would

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be one possible conclusion

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and then the second component of the

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galileo project is to search for

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interstellar objects that enter the

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solar system that do not look like the

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rocks we have seen before in the solar

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system

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the first such object

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was named

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and it didn't look like a comet or an

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asteroid and i'll discuss it in a few

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minutes

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and so we want to find more of the same

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and take a high resolution image

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and there is an opportunity for

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crowdfunding which is described

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on our website you can see the link at

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so

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on

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june 25th this year

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the intelligence agencies delivered a

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report to congress and they basically

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said that they are not doing their job

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which is quite unusual for a government

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agency

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they said that there were at least 143

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incidents where objects were identified

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in the sky above the us

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whose nature is unclear

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so at that point it became clear to me

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that this subject needs to move away

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from

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government officials

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to the realm of science

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because it's unhealthy for this subject

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to be ridiculed by the scientific

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community while at the same time the

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most conservative organization that we

291
00:12:10,870 --> 00:12:08,560
know of the government admits that there

292
00:12:12,389 --> 00:12:10,880
are these objects how is that possible

293
00:12:14,550 --> 00:12:12,399
that the scientific community which is

294
00:12:17,670 --> 00:12:14,560
supposed to be open-minded

295
00:12:20,710 --> 00:12:17,680
blue sky in its opinions

296
00:12:23,430 --> 00:12:20,720
not looking at the blue sky ridiculing

297
00:12:25,190 --> 00:12:23,440
the subject leaving this for speculation

298
00:12:27,990 --> 00:12:25,200
by the general public

299
00:12:30,710 --> 00:12:28,000
that doesn't make much sense

300
00:12:35,110 --> 00:12:30,720
actually it's the duty of scientists to

301
00:12:39,110 --> 00:12:36,710
and that's

302
00:12:41,750 --> 00:12:39,120
the goal of the galileo project

303
00:12:43,910 --> 00:12:41,760
that we inaugurated the month after this

304
00:12:46,310 --> 00:12:43,920
report came out

305
00:12:48,629 --> 00:12:46,320
the idea is to have open data

306
00:12:50,949 --> 00:12:48,639
that is assembled by instruments that we

307
00:12:53,190 --> 00:12:50,959
have full control over that are

308
00:12:56,230 --> 00:12:53,200
optimized for the purpose of identifying

309
00:12:58,470 --> 00:12:56,240
the nature of these unidentified aerial

310
00:13:00,949 --> 00:12:58,480
phenomena

311
00:13:02,470 --> 00:13:00,959
and here is the research team

312
00:13:04,230 --> 00:13:02,480
and

313
00:13:06,870 --> 00:13:04,240
you can see the various people in

314
00:13:08,790 --> 00:13:06,880
particular biatris who uh

315
00:13:11,030 --> 00:13:08,800
villaroel who is

316
00:13:13,030 --> 00:13:11,040
a member of your organization you can

317
00:13:16,949 --> 00:13:13,040
see her on the on the right

318
00:13:19,269 --> 00:13:16,959
also alan stern he's the pi on nasa's

319
00:13:21,509 --> 00:13:19,279
new horizon

320
00:13:23,430 --> 00:13:21,519
so there are many people involved and

321
00:13:25,990 --> 00:13:23,440
exceptional scientists

322
00:13:27,829 --> 00:13:26,000
uh mostly astronomers

323
00:13:30,629 --> 00:13:27,839
that we have also in a scientific

324
00:13:32,550 --> 00:13:30,639
advisory board that you can see here

325
00:13:33,990 --> 00:13:32,560
you might identify

326
00:13:36,470 --> 00:13:34,000
one of the people here if you use

327
00:13:40,389 --> 00:13:36,480
mathematica stephen wolfram

328
00:13:44,470 --> 00:13:42,069
and then we have a philanthropic

329
00:13:46,069 --> 00:13:44,480
advisory board and a public outreach

330
00:13:48,310 --> 00:13:46,079
group

331
00:13:50,550 --> 00:13:48,320
and a lot of affiliates i should say i

332
00:13:52,389 --> 00:13:50,560
got i received thousands of

333
00:13:55,110 --> 00:13:52,399
emails from people who are

334
00:13:58,470 --> 00:13:55,120
uh happy to contribute uh from their

335
00:14:00,310 --> 00:13:58,480
expertise to the project

336
00:14:03,110 --> 00:14:00,320
now the big question is what's the

337
00:14:06,550 --> 00:14:03,120
future of humanity

338
00:14:08,470 --> 00:14:06,560
currently all our eggs are in one basket

339
00:14:11,189 --> 00:14:08,480
here on earth

340
00:14:13,350 --> 00:14:11,199
but i can imagine that you know we might

341
00:14:16,230 --> 00:14:13,360
want to spread them just to avoid a

342
00:14:18,710 --> 00:14:16,240
catastrophe and i call that nox

343
00:14:20,790 --> 00:14:18,720
spaceship an analogy to the biblical

344
00:14:21,990 --> 00:14:20,800
story of knox ark

345
00:14:25,350 --> 00:14:22,000
where noah

346
00:14:28,629 --> 00:14:25,360
built an ark to put all the animals and

347
00:14:31,590 --> 00:14:28,639
save them from the great flood

348
00:14:35,110 --> 00:14:31,600
and we have risks here on earth

349
00:14:36,310 --> 00:14:35,120
uh the there are either self-inflicted

350
00:14:38,790 --> 00:14:36,320
uh by

351
00:14:40,069 --> 00:14:38,800
internal threats you know we're changing

352
00:14:41,030 --> 00:14:40,079
the climate

353
00:14:42,829 --> 00:14:41,040
we are

354
00:14:45,990 --> 00:14:42,839
uh initiating

355
00:14:48,389 --> 00:14:46,000
wars uh there are pandemics who knows

356
00:14:50,150 --> 00:14:48,399
where the pandemic came from naturally

357
00:14:50,949 --> 00:14:50,160
or from a lab

358
00:14:52,870 --> 00:14:50,959
uh

359
00:14:54,629 --> 00:14:52,880
there are all kinds of technological and

360
00:14:55,750 --> 00:14:54,639
political catastrophes that we can

361
00:14:58,389 --> 00:14:55,760
imagine

362
00:15:00,870 --> 00:14:58,399
but there are also external threats from

363
00:15:02,230 --> 00:15:00,880
the impact of asteroids just like the

364
00:15:06,629 --> 00:15:02,240
dinosaurs

365
00:15:09,590 --> 00:15:06,639
were killed 66 million years ago when a

366
00:15:10,829 --> 00:15:09,600
rock the size of manhattan island

367
00:15:13,829 --> 00:15:10,839
impacted

368
00:15:14,629 --> 00:15:13,839
earth and eventually the sun will boil

369
00:15:16,470 --> 00:15:14,639
off

370
00:15:19,269 --> 00:15:16,480
all oceans

371
00:15:21,829 --> 00:15:19,279
in a billion years or so

372
00:15:25,030 --> 00:15:21,839
so we need to go to space and here is my

373
00:15:27,430 --> 00:15:25,040
personal journey from a farm to space

374
00:15:30,030 --> 00:15:27,440
exploration just a few days ago i was

375
00:15:32,790 --> 00:15:30,040
invited to a forum i had about

376
00:15:34,870 --> 00:15:32,800
1250 interviews over the past seven

377
00:15:36,470 --> 00:15:34,880
months since my book appeared so quite a

378
00:15:39,509 --> 00:15:36,480
hectic schedule but

379
00:15:40,389 --> 00:15:39,519
uh a few days ago i was invited to a

380
00:15:43,269 --> 00:15:40,399
forum

381
00:15:45,749 --> 00:15:43,279
and they put all my titles and then

382
00:15:48,150 --> 00:15:45,759
finally my name and i said

383
00:15:51,110 --> 00:15:48,160
no forget about my titles i don't care

384
00:15:53,030 --> 00:15:51,120
much about them just put my name and say

385
00:15:55,430 --> 00:15:53,040
a farm boy

386
00:15:57,990 --> 00:15:55,440
and that's because i'm very proud of the

387
00:16:00,949 --> 00:15:58,000
fact that i was born on a farm i was not

388
00:16:02,710 --> 00:16:00,959
groomed as a university professor

389
00:16:04,870 --> 00:16:02,720
unlike many of my colleagues that think

390
00:16:07,990 --> 00:16:04,880
very highly of themselves i mean i was

391
00:16:10,470 --> 00:16:08,000
i'm still just a farm boy and you can

392
00:16:11,509 --> 00:16:10,480
see a picture of me at age 7 on the top

393
00:16:15,350 --> 00:16:11,519
left

394
00:16:17,189 --> 00:16:15,360
i was born 59 years ago

395
00:16:19,749 --> 00:16:17,199
and then the second

396
00:16:21,030 --> 00:16:19,759
photo shows me collecting eggs every

397
00:16:22,949 --> 00:16:21,040
afternoon

398
00:16:25,189 --> 00:16:22,959
we had chickens

399
00:16:26,949 --> 00:16:25,199
and one thing led to another

400
00:16:29,910 --> 00:16:26,959
i was mostly interested in philosophy

401
00:16:31,509 --> 00:16:29,920
early on at any event i ended up as the

402
00:16:34,069 --> 00:16:31,519
chair of the astronomy department at

403
00:16:37,990 --> 00:16:34,079
harvard for nine years the longest

404
00:16:40,629 --> 00:16:38,000
serving chair and at the bottom left

405
00:16:43,110 --> 00:16:40,639
you see a photo of a visit by

406
00:16:45,829 --> 00:16:43,120
entrepreneur from silicon valley yuri

407
00:16:48,150 --> 00:16:45,839
milner that came to my office sat on the

408
00:16:51,030 --> 00:16:48,160
sofa in front of me and asked me whether

409
00:16:53,269 --> 00:16:51,040
i'm willing to lead a project to visit

410
00:16:57,749 --> 00:16:53,279
the nearest star

411
00:16:58,710 --> 00:16:57,759
light years away

412
00:17:00,710 --> 00:16:58,720
so

413
00:17:02,829 --> 00:17:00,720
it takes like four years to get there if

414
00:17:05,189 --> 00:17:02,839
you want to get there within our

415
00:17:07,750 --> 00:17:05,199
lifetime it means that we need to get

416
00:17:09,669 --> 00:17:07,760
there in 20 years or so and that means

417
00:17:12,150 --> 00:17:09,679
that we need a spacecraft that moves at

418
00:17:14,870 --> 00:17:12,160
the fifth of the speed of light

419
00:17:16,789 --> 00:17:14,880
and that's a thousand times faster than

420
00:17:20,230 --> 00:17:16,799
the chemical rockets that we have

421
00:17:22,470 --> 00:17:20,240
produced so far so that was a challenge

422
00:17:25,429 --> 00:17:22,480
but i came up with a concept and we

423
00:17:27,429 --> 00:17:25,439
announced the project in april 2016. you

424
00:17:30,230 --> 00:17:27,439
can see it in the middle bottom

425
00:17:34,950 --> 00:17:30,240
photo and that was in the company of

426
00:17:37,110 --> 00:17:34,960
stephen hawking and freeman dyson

427
00:17:40,070 --> 00:17:37,120
so here is an artist illustration of the

428
00:17:41,909 --> 00:17:40,080
solar system it extends halfway to the

429
00:17:45,270 --> 00:17:41,919
nearest star

430
00:17:47,110 --> 00:17:45,280
and the oort cloud contains

431
00:17:49,430 --> 00:17:47,120
the bricks

432
00:17:51,350 --> 00:17:49,440
the building blocks that were used

433
00:17:53,909 --> 00:17:51,360
to make up the planet some of them were

434
00:17:54,950 --> 00:17:53,919
scattered in a spherical region around

435
00:17:58,950 --> 00:17:54,960
the sun

436
00:18:02,630 --> 00:17:58,960
and it goes halfway to the nearest star

437
00:18:06,150 --> 00:18:02,640
um proxima centauri which is a member of

438
00:18:08,710 --> 00:18:06,160
a three-star system alpha centauri

439
00:18:10,230 --> 00:18:08,720
and as it turns out proxima centauri has

440
00:18:12,710 --> 00:18:10,240
a planet

441
00:18:15,110 --> 00:18:12,720
it's a the star is 12

442
00:18:16,789 --> 00:18:15,120
uh percent of the mass of the sun so

443
00:18:18,789 --> 00:18:16,799
it's it has roughly

444
00:18:21,350 --> 00:18:18,799
half the surface temperature it's a

445
00:18:22,789 --> 00:18:21,360
dwarf star emitting mostly infrared

446
00:18:25,430 --> 00:18:22,799
radiation

447
00:18:27,590 --> 00:18:25,440
and the planet is 20 times closer to the

448
00:18:29,029 --> 00:18:27,600
star than the earth is from the sun but

449
00:18:31,270 --> 00:18:29,039
that happens to be just the right

450
00:18:33,590 --> 00:18:31,280
distance where the surface temperature

451
00:18:35,270 --> 00:18:33,600
of the star of the sun

452
00:18:38,070 --> 00:18:35,280
sorry the surface temperature of the

453
00:18:39,110 --> 00:18:38,080
planet uh is similar to that of the

454
00:18:41,110 --> 00:18:39,120
earth

455
00:18:43,669 --> 00:18:41,120
so in principle there could be liquid

456
00:18:46,070 --> 00:18:43,679
water on the surface of that planet

457
00:18:47,830 --> 00:18:46,080
but it's so close to the star

458
00:18:50,789 --> 00:18:47,840
that

459
00:18:54,230 --> 00:18:50,799
it's tidally locked just like the moon

460
00:18:57,430 --> 00:18:54,240
is to the earth so it faces the star

461
00:18:59,270 --> 00:18:57,440
with the same side as it moves around it

462
00:19:01,990 --> 00:18:59,280
every 11 days

463
00:19:04,950 --> 00:19:02,000
it has a permanent day side

464
00:19:07,590 --> 00:19:04,960
and a permanent night side

465
00:19:08,470 --> 00:19:07,600
and my daughters say that if we ever go

466
00:19:10,390 --> 00:19:08,480
there

467
00:19:12,470 --> 00:19:10,400
they want to have a house

468
00:19:14,230 --> 00:19:12,480
on the strip that separates the

469
00:19:16,470 --> 00:19:14,240
permanent day side from the permanent

470
00:19:17,750 --> 00:19:16,480
night side because you can sit on the

471
00:19:19,029 --> 00:19:17,760
porch

472
00:19:20,470 --> 00:19:19,039
and see

473
00:19:22,710 --> 00:19:20,480
the sunset

474
00:19:25,350 --> 00:19:22,720
forever

475
00:19:31,830 --> 00:19:25,360
just imagine sitting on the porch and

476
00:19:36,390 --> 00:19:34,230
i asked students in my class the

477
00:19:38,070 --> 00:19:36,400
freshman seminar class at harvard if

478
00:19:40,630 --> 00:19:38,080
they know of any animal that has

479
00:19:43,190 --> 00:19:40,640
infrared vision that could live on this

480
00:19:44,789 --> 00:19:43,200
on the day side of this planet and one

481
00:19:46,630 --> 00:19:44,799
of them found

482
00:19:48,950 --> 00:19:46,640
a shrimp

483
00:19:51,669 --> 00:19:48,960
and the eyes of the shrimp look like

484
00:19:53,750 --> 00:19:51,679
ping-pong balls connected with cords to

485
00:19:55,590 --> 00:19:53,760
the head of the shrimp

486
00:19:57,190 --> 00:19:55,600
and the student she said

487
00:20:01,830 --> 00:19:57,200
the student said

488
00:20:06,710 --> 00:20:04,789
now how do we get there the idea is

489
00:20:11,270 --> 00:20:06,720
to uh push

490
00:20:12,950 --> 00:20:11,280
on a very thin film of material a sail

491
00:20:15,510 --> 00:20:12,960
with light

492
00:20:17,669 --> 00:20:15,520
a very powerful laser beam pushing on a

493
00:20:19,590 --> 00:20:17,679
sail that weighs roughly a gram can

494
00:20:20,870 --> 00:20:19,600
bring it to a fifth of the speed of

495
00:20:22,789 --> 00:20:20,880
light

496
00:20:24,710 --> 00:20:22,799
and one can equip the sail with

497
00:20:27,350 --> 00:20:24,720
electronics

498
00:20:29,750 --> 00:20:27,360
so here is the concept a lot of small

499
00:20:33,430 --> 00:20:29,760
lasers low power lasers combine their

500
00:20:36,070 --> 00:20:33,440
beams to make a hundred gigawatt beam

501
00:20:37,190 --> 00:20:36,080
that shines on a sail released by

502
00:20:38,549 --> 00:20:37,200
another

503
00:20:41,270 --> 00:20:38,559
spaceship

504
00:20:42,390 --> 00:20:41,280
above the atmosphere

505
00:20:44,470 --> 00:20:42,400
and

506
00:20:46,549 --> 00:20:44,480
the 100 gigawatt

507
00:20:49,430 --> 00:20:46,559
beam shines for

508
00:20:52,149 --> 00:20:49,440
a few minutes on a sale this the length

509
00:20:53,830 --> 00:20:52,159
of a person that weighs a few grams

510
00:20:56,310 --> 00:20:53,840
and that can bring the sale over a

511
00:20:57,190 --> 00:20:56,320
distance of five times the distance to

512
00:21:00,630 --> 00:20:57,200
the moon

513
00:21:04,870 --> 00:21:00,640
to a fifth of the speed of light

514
00:21:06,710 --> 00:21:04,880
so the launch phase takes a few minutes

515
00:21:10,230 --> 00:21:06,720
and then the journey

516
00:21:12,470 --> 00:21:10,240
takes 20 years

517
00:21:15,029 --> 00:21:12,480
it's a very long journey that's what why

518
00:21:17,750 --> 00:21:15,039
humans are not really designed for

519
00:21:19,750 --> 00:21:17,760
interstellar travel unlike what you see

520
00:21:21,750 --> 00:21:19,760
in science fiction movies

521
00:21:23,830 --> 00:21:21,760
you know we were selected by darwinian

522
00:21:25,830 --> 00:21:23,840
evolution to live on earth

523
00:21:27,350 --> 00:21:25,840
but at any event this sail will

524
00:21:28,310 --> 00:21:27,360
hopefully get

525
00:21:31,029 --> 00:21:28,320
to

526
00:21:34,390 --> 00:21:31,039
proxima b the planet near proxima

527
00:21:35,270 --> 00:21:34,400
centauri and take a photograph

528
00:21:38,230 --> 00:21:35,280
and

529
00:21:40,630 --> 00:21:38,240
inform us whether there is life on it

530
00:21:42,870 --> 00:21:40,640
by sending back the signal

531
00:21:45,430 --> 00:21:42,880
and it will take the signal

532
00:21:48,310 --> 00:21:45,440
four years to reach us

533
00:21:49,669 --> 00:21:48,320
so all together 24 years that's a long

534
00:21:51,750 --> 00:21:49,679
time

535
00:21:56,789 --> 00:21:51,760
but that's the fastest we can imagine

536
00:22:01,350 --> 00:21:59,430
in principle you can launch a sail

537
00:22:04,789 --> 00:22:01,360
close to the speed of light

538
00:22:06,950 --> 00:22:04,799
by a natural source of light if you park

539
00:22:08,950 --> 00:22:06,960
the sail at 100 times the earth sun

540
00:22:12,149 --> 00:22:08,960
separation from

541
00:22:14,470 --> 00:22:12,159
a massive star that is about to explode

542
00:22:18,710 --> 00:22:14,480
in a supernova

543
00:22:21,350 --> 00:22:18,720
then the sail could be carried out

544
00:22:23,270 --> 00:22:21,360
by the flash of light produced by the

545
00:22:24,630 --> 00:22:23,280
explosion

546
00:22:27,990 --> 00:22:24,640
it's just like

547
00:22:31,350 --> 00:22:28,000
surfers waiting for a giant wave to

548
00:22:34,310 --> 00:22:31,360
carry them on the beaches of hawaii

549
00:22:37,669 --> 00:22:34,320
except here we're talking about

550
00:22:40,870 --> 00:22:37,679
a flash of light carrying the sail

551
00:22:44,310 --> 00:22:40,880
close to the speed of light and another

552
00:22:46,549 --> 00:22:44,320
metaphor is dandelion seeds you can see

553
00:22:49,750 --> 00:22:46,559
that on the right hand side

554
00:22:53,350 --> 00:22:52,149
now we are probably not the sharpest

555
00:22:55,990 --> 00:22:53,360
cookies

556
00:22:58,390 --> 00:22:56,000
in the jar of the milky way and by that

557
00:23:00,630 --> 00:22:58,400
i mean we are not the smartest

558
00:23:02,149 --> 00:23:00,640
and the reason i say that is

559
00:23:05,110 --> 00:23:02,159
i define

560
00:23:07,430 --> 00:23:05,120
uh as an intelligent species

561
00:23:09,430 --> 00:23:07,440
a culture that is

562
00:23:11,430 --> 00:23:09,440
following the guiding principles of

563
00:23:14,390 --> 00:23:11,440
science

564
00:23:16,149 --> 00:23:14,400
cooperation and sharing of

565
00:23:17,669 --> 00:23:16,159
evidence-based

566
00:23:20,390 --> 00:23:17,679
knowledge

567
00:23:21,750 --> 00:23:20,400
so we are not cooperating much

568
00:23:23,750 --> 00:23:21,760
i mean the

569
00:23:26,230 --> 00:23:23,760
latest example is

570
00:23:28,789 --> 00:23:26,240
the kovit 19 pandemic it started in

571
00:23:31,110 --> 00:23:28,799
wohan china there wasn't much

572
00:23:32,390 --> 00:23:31,120
uh sharing of information it could have

573
00:23:34,950 --> 00:23:32,400
saved

574
00:23:38,710 --> 00:23:34,960
a lot of lives if we if everyone knew

575
00:23:39,990 --> 00:23:38,720
what this virus is all about

576
00:23:41,269 --> 00:23:40,000
and

577
00:23:44,630 --> 00:23:41,279
also when we

578
00:23:47,269 --> 00:23:44,640
make decisions on policy

579
00:23:49,430 --> 00:23:47,279
they are not following evidence

580
00:23:51,029 --> 00:23:49,440
so we have a long way to go

581
00:23:52,710 --> 00:23:51,039
and that's why i'm saying

582
00:23:55,590 --> 00:23:52,720
you know what's the chance that if you

583
00:23:58,870 --> 00:23:55,600
open a recipe book that you land on the

584
00:24:00,310 --> 00:23:58,880
page that makes the best cake

585
00:24:03,190 --> 00:24:00,320
quite small

586
00:24:04,710 --> 00:24:03,200
and therefore the chance of us being

587
00:24:06,870 --> 00:24:04,720
the smartest

588
00:24:09,750 --> 00:24:06,880
civilization in our galaxy is really

589
00:24:13,190 --> 00:24:11,029
so

590
00:24:15,430 --> 00:24:13,200
without any prejudice

591
00:24:17,909 --> 00:24:15,440
let's just search

592
00:24:19,909 --> 00:24:17,919
for evidence of others of course we can

593
00:24:22,789 --> 00:24:19,919
argue that we are the smartest just like

594
00:24:24,870 --> 00:24:22,799
my daughters did when they were young

595
00:24:27,190 --> 00:24:24,880
we can decide not to look through our

596
00:24:28,950 --> 00:24:27,200
windows for any neighbors

597
00:24:31,350 --> 00:24:28,960
but that will not get rid of our

598
00:24:33,750 --> 00:24:31,360
neighbors

599
00:24:35,750 --> 00:24:33,760
and the best place to start looking

600
00:24:37,510 --> 00:24:35,760
is in our backyard for anything that

601
00:24:39,909 --> 00:24:37,520
came into it

602
00:24:42,230 --> 00:24:39,919
and that means the solar system and in

603
00:24:44,950 --> 00:24:42,240
2017

604
00:24:47,029 --> 00:24:44,960
the pan stars telescope in hawaii

605
00:24:48,789 --> 00:24:47,039
on the summit of haleakala mountain in

606
00:24:52,070 --> 00:24:48,799
maui

607
00:24:54,230 --> 00:24:52,080
discovered the first interstellar object

608
00:24:55,909 --> 00:24:54,240
that visited the solar system

609
00:24:58,310 --> 00:24:55,919
from outside

610
00:24:59,590 --> 00:24:58,320
based on its velocity it was not bound

611
00:25:01,750 --> 00:24:59,600
to the sun

612
00:25:04,230 --> 00:25:01,760
it was given the name omuamua which

613
00:25:07,110 --> 00:25:04,240
means a scout in the hawaiian language

614
00:25:10,870 --> 00:25:07,120
you can see it circled in blue

615
00:25:14,149 --> 00:25:10,880
with the background of stars behind it

616
00:25:16,230 --> 00:25:14,159
and it started in a very special frame

617
00:25:18,630 --> 00:25:16,240
of reference the so-called local

618
00:25:20,230 --> 00:25:18,640
standard of rest which is the frame that

619
00:25:22,230 --> 00:25:20,240
you get to when you average over the

620
00:25:23,830 --> 00:25:22,240
motions of all the stars in the vicinity

621
00:25:26,549 --> 00:25:23,840
of the sun

622
00:25:30,870 --> 00:25:26,559
only one in 500 stars

623
00:25:31,590 --> 00:25:30,880
is so much at rest as umu was

624
00:25:36,630 --> 00:25:31,600
so

625
00:25:39,430 --> 00:25:36,640
the surface of the ocean at rest and

626
00:25:43,110 --> 00:25:39,440
then the sun was like a giant ship that

627
00:25:47,029 --> 00:25:43,120
bumped into it and gave it a kick

628
00:25:50,470 --> 00:25:49,190
and as the object was tumbling every

629
00:25:53,190 --> 00:25:50,480
eight hours

630
00:25:56,149 --> 00:25:53,200
the amount of sunlight reflected from it

631
00:25:57,990 --> 00:25:56,159
changed by a factor of 10.

632
00:26:00,070 --> 00:25:58,000
and that meant that it has a very

633
00:26:02,310 --> 00:26:00,080
extreme shape

634
00:26:03,750 --> 00:26:02,320
just imagine a piece of paper tumbling

635
00:26:06,310 --> 00:26:03,760
in the wind

636
00:26:08,070 --> 00:26:06,320
and the project the area of the piece of

637
00:26:10,230 --> 00:26:08,080
paper projected

638
00:26:11,590 --> 00:26:10,240
in front of you changing by a factor of

639
00:26:15,110 --> 00:26:11,600
10.

640
00:26:15,909 --> 00:26:15,120
it means that the object is very thin

641
00:26:19,029 --> 00:26:15,919
and

642
00:26:22,149 --> 00:26:19,039
when modeling the variation of light the

643
00:26:25,269 --> 00:26:22,159
best shape that was inferred is that of

644
00:26:28,390 --> 00:26:25,279
a pancake a disc

645
00:26:30,950 --> 00:26:28,400
you can see it on the left here a

646
00:26:35,990 --> 00:26:34,230
shade implies a high probability so

647
00:26:38,310 --> 00:26:36,000
in this plane of

648
00:26:39,590 --> 00:26:38,320
the angles the defined orientation of

649
00:26:41,830 --> 00:26:39,600
the object

650
00:26:43,750 --> 00:26:41,840
it seems like most of this plane at the

651
00:26:47,510 --> 00:26:43,760
90 percent confidence

652
00:26:48,710 --> 00:26:47,520
agrees with the data meaning that a disk

653
00:26:53,350 --> 00:26:48,720
like

654
00:26:55,909 --> 00:26:53,360
and then on the right side you see a

655
00:26:57,110 --> 00:26:55,919
cigar that is 10 times longer than it is

656
00:26:59,590 --> 00:26:57,120
wide

657
00:27:01,510 --> 00:26:59,600
and you really need to fine tune the

658
00:27:04,789 --> 00:27:01,520
orientation of this cigar in order to

659
00:27:07,590 --> 00:27:04,799
get a good fit to the light curve

660
00:27:10,230 --> 00:27:07,600
so most likely it was disk shape at the

661
00:27:12,870 --> 00:27:10,240
90 confidence

662
00:27:13,830 --> 00:27:12,880
and then the spitzer space telescope

663
00:27:15,590 --> 00:27:13,840
tried

664
00:27:17,190 --> 00:27:15,600
to look at this object

665
00:27:19,590 --> 00:27:17,200
and you can see the image on the right

666
00:27:23,750 --> 00:27:19,600
hand side on the top at the top

667
00:27:25,110 --> 00:27:23,760
and there was nothing detected nothing

668
00:27:27,830 --> 00:27:25,120
and that means

669
00:27:29,990 --> 00:27:27,840
that the object did not emit infrared

670
00:27:32,149 --> 00:27:30,000
radiation didn't we didn't see any heat

671
00:27:35,830 --> 00:27:32,159
coming from it it must have been small

672
00:27:37,510 --> 00:27:35,840
smaller than 200 meters

673
00:27:40,149 --> 00:27:37,520
because we know the surface temperature

674
00:27:42,070 --> 00:27:40,159
of the object based on its trajectory

675
00:27:43,990 --> 00:27:42,080
so it must have been smaller with a high

676
00:27:44,950 --> 00:27:44,000
reflectance

677
00:27:48,549 --> 00:27:44,960
and then

678
00:27:50,549 --> 00:27:48,559
moreover there was no dust or gas around

679
00:27:52,310 --> 00:27:50,559
it at a very

680
00:27:55,590 --> 00:27:52,320
there was a very tight limit on the

681
00:27:58,549 --> 00:27:55,600
existence of carbon-based molecules

682
00:28:01,110 --> 00:27:58,559
so the object was definitely not a comet

683
00:28:05,590 --> 00:28:01,120
of the type that we have seen before

684
00:28:10,630 --> 00:28:07,909
but at the same time the object

685
00:28:11,750 --> 00:28:10,640
exhibited an excess push away from the

686
00:28:13,269 --> 00:28:11,760
sun

687
00:28:15,590 --> 00:28:13,279
with a force

688
00:28:18,070 --> 00:28:15,600
that declines inversely with distance

689
00:28:20,389 --> 00:28:18,080
squared

690
00:28:22,870 --> 00:28:20,399
some non-gravitational force and since

691
00:28:24,549 --> 00:28:22,880
evaporation was excluded by the speeds

692
00:28:26,710 --> 00:28:24,559
of data

693
00:28:30,470 --> 00:28:26,720
the only possibility that i could think

694
00:28:35,190 --> 00:28:30,480
of was that the push is as a result of

695
00:28:42,070 --> 00:28:37,590
but in order for that to be effective

696
00:28:48,630 --> 00:28:46,149
and nature doesn't make thin objects

697
00:28:51,510 --> 00:28:48,640
so i suggested in a scientific paper

698
00:28:52,789 --> 00:28:51,520
that perhaps the object is artificial in

699
00:28:54,389 --> 00:28:52,799
origin

700
00:28:58,310 --> 00:28:54,399
and that's really the fundamental

701
00:29:01,029 --> 00:28:58,320
question is a muammua natural

702
00:29:03,669 --> 00:29:01,039
or artificial

703
00:29:05,750 --> 00:29:03,679
and after i finished my book actually

704
00:29:07,750 --> 00:29:05,760
after i finished writing it there was

705
00:29:09,269 --> 00:29:07,760
another object discovered by the same

706
00:29:11,750 --> 00:29:09,279
telescope

707
00:29:15,190 --> 00:29:11,760
in september 2020

708
00:29:17,350 --> 00:29:15,200
it was given the astronomical name 2020

709
00:29:20,710 --> 00:29:17,360
so

710
00:29:22,950 --> 00:29:20,720
and it was thought to be an asteroid

711
00:29:25,350 --> 00:29:22,960
but then it showed an excess push away

712
00:29:26,549 --> 00:29:25,360
from the sun as a result of reflection

713
00:29:30,310 --> 00:29:26,559
of sunlight

714
00:29:32,070 --> 00:29:30,320
no cometary tale just like omuamua

715
00:29:34,870 --> 00:29:32,080
and then the astronomers that discovered

716
00:29:37,430 --> 00:29:34,880
it a few weeks later realized in fact if

717
00:29:39,510 --> 00:29:37,440
you extrapolate the orbit back in time

718
00:29:40,789 --> 00:29:39,520
it actually came from earth

719
00:29:43,190 --> 00:29:40,799
it was

720
00:29:46,070 --> 00:29:43,200
a rocket booster that was launched from

721
00:29:49,029 --> 00:29:46,080
earth in 1966

722
00:29:51,830 --> 00:29:49,039
as part of a lunar lander mission

723
00:29:54,630 --> 00:29:51,840
and we understand why it had an excess

724
00:29:56,149 --> 00:29:54,640
push away from the sun because it had

725
00:29:59,590 --> 00:29:56,159
thin walls

726
00:30:01,830 --> 00:29:59,600
so it had a large area for its mass

727
00:30:06,149 --> 00:30:01,840
and we know that this object was

728
00:30:08,389 --> 00:30:06,159
artificial because we produced it

729
00:30:12,549 --> 00:30:08,399
the question is who produced

730
00:30:15,669 --> 00:30:12,559
a muammar and this object 2020 so was

731
00:30:17,029 --> 00:30:15,679
not designed to be a light sail

732
00:30:20,230 --> 00:30:17,039
it was just

733
00:30:21,350 --> 00:30:20,240
thin that's all and so omomua could have

734
00:30:23,029 --> 00:30:21,360
been thin

735
00:30:25,750 --> 00:30:23,039
for a different purpose not to be a

736
00:30:27,830 --> 00:30:25,760
light sale but perhaps it was a receiver

737
00:30:30,549 --> 00:30:27,840
or something the point is

738
00:30:34,789 --> 00:30:30,559
it was artificial if we make the analogy

739
00:30:39,909 --> 00:30:38,149
and what are the anomalies of muammua

740
00:30:42,070 --> 00:30:39,919
well first of all we didn't expect to

741
00:30:44,870 --> 00:30:42,080
find such an object

742
00:30:46,789 --> 00:30:44,880
because i wrote a paper a decade earlier

743
00:30:48,950 --> 00:30:46,799
forecasting the number of frogs that

744
00:30:50,710 --> 00:30:48,960
should be in the interstellar medium

745
00:30:53,350 --> 00:30:50,720
based on what we know in the solar

746
00:30:54,710 --> 00:30:53,360
system and we expected an abundance that

747
00:30:57,029 --> 00:30:54,720
is smaller

748
00:30:58,630 --> 00:30:57,039
by a factor of a hundred to a hundred

749
00:31:00,549 --> 00:30:58,640
million

750
00:31:04,230 --> 00:31:00,559
than the number of objects needed to

751
00:31:08,950 --> 00:31:07,029
and moreover this object or momoa

752
00:31:10,389 --> 00:31:08,960
originated from the local standard of

753
00:31:12,870 --> 00:31:10,399
rest

754
00:31:15,990 --> 00:31:12,880
only 1 in 500 stars

755
00:31:17,750 --> 00:31:16,000
are in that frame of reference and

756
00:31:20,470 --> 00:31:17,760
it couldn't have originated from any of

757
00:31:22,950 --> 00:31:20,480
the nearby stars

758
00:31:25,669 --> 00:31:22,960
its brightness changed by a factor of 10

759
00:31:27,590 --> 00:31:25,679
that meant a very extreme shape

760
00:31:28,630 --> 00:31:27,600
and the best fit to the variation of

761
00:31:31,110 --> 00:31:28,640
light

762
00:31:33,830 --> 00:31:31,120
was that of a pancake

763
00:31:35,509 --> 00:31:33,840
these are unusual properties

764
00:31:38,310 --> 00:31:35,519
its reflectance must have been

765
00:31:41,830 --> 00:31:38,320
substantial of the order of five to

766
00:31:44,389 --> 00:31:41,840
twenty percent or more

767
00:31:45,990 --> 00:31:44,399
and it deviated from a capillary and

768
00:31:48,389 --> 00:31:46,000
orbit

769
00:31:50,710 --> 00:31:48,399
without any cometary

770
00:31:52,470 --> 00:31:50,720
tail without any outgassing

771
00:31:54,310 --> 00:31:52,480
that we can detect with the speeds of

772
00:31:56,950 --> 00:31:54,320
space telescope so i suggest that it

773
00:31:58,870 --> 00:31:56,960
must be pushed by sunlight

774
00:32:02,149 --> 00:31:58,880
and then there were a few astronomers

775
00:32:04,710 --> 00:32:02,159
that tried to explain it

776
00:32:06,230 --> 00:32:04,720
from a natural origin

777
00:32:08,789 --> 00:32:06,240
and what were the suggestions the

778
00:32:10,710 --> 00:32:08,799
suggestion was one of them was maybe

779
00:32:13,029 --> 00:32:10,720
it's a dust bunny

780
00:32:16,630 --> 00:32:13,039
it's a cloud of dust particles that is a

781
00:32:18,389 --> 00:32:16,640
100 times less dense than air

782
00:32:20,870 --> 00:32:18,399
so that it's pushed by reflecting

783
00:32:23,190 --> 00:32:20,880
sunlight because it's very lightweight

784
00:32:24,630 --> 00:32:23,200
the problem with that is such a very

785
00:32:25,750 --> 00:32:24,640
fluffy

786
00:32:28,070 --> 00:32:25,760
cloud

787
00:32:29,990 --> 00:32:28,080
would get disrupted as it gets heated by

788
00:32:32,149 --> 00:32:30,000
hundreds of degrees when it gets close

789
00:32:35,350 --> 00:32:32,159
to the sun it's very difficult to

790
00:32:37,750 --> 00:32:35,360
imagine that it will maintain its

791
00:32:40,149 --> 00:32:37,760
integrity because its material strength

792
00:32:41,669 --> 00:32:40,159
is not very high

793
00:32:43,350 --> 00:32:41,679
then there was a situation maybe it's a

794
00:32:45,590 --> 00:32:43,360
hydrogen iceberg

795
00:32:47,750 --> 00:32:45,600
a chunk of frozen hydrogen so that when

796
00:32:49,190 --> 00:32:47,760
hydrogen evaporates it's transparent and

797
00:32:51,029 --> 00:32:49,200
you can't see it

798
00:32:53,430 --> 00:32:51,039
the problem with that is hydrogen

799
00:32:55,990 --> 00:32:53,440
evaporates very easily so it wouldn't

800
00:32:57,110 --> 00:32:56,000
survive the travel through interstellar

801
00:32:58,630 --> 00:32:57,120
space

802
00:33:00,470 --> 00:32:58,640
it would evaporate within a million

803
00:33:02,070 --> 00:33:00,480
years or so

804
00:33:03,909 --> 00:33:02,080
then there was a suggestion maybe it's a

805
00:33:06,070 --> 00:33:03,919
nitrogen iceberg

806
00:33:07,909 --> 00:33:06,080
all of these things are

807
00:33:09,669 --> 00:33:07,919
something that we've never seen before

808
00:33:12,389 --> 00:33:09,679
we don't know if hydrogen icebergs are

809
00:33:15,669 --> 00:33:12,399
made in nature we don't know if nitrogen

810
00:33:17,830 --> 00:33:15,679
icebergs are common and in fact

811
00:33:18,549 --> 00:33:17,840
there is just not enough nitrogen to

812
00:33:21,830 --> 00:33:18,559
make

813
00:33:24,470 --> 00:33:21,840
enough chunks of nitrogen to explain mua

814
00:33:26,230 --> 00:33:24,480
so he here are a couple of plots from

815
00:33:28,710 --> 00:33:26,240
papers that i've written

816
00:33:31,430 --> 00:33:28,720
in one on the left we show that for a

817
00:33:32,710 --> 00:33:31,440
hydrogen iceberg the lifetime

818
00:33:34,870 --> 00:33:32,720
over which

819
00:33:35,750 --> 00:33:34,880
it would get evaporated is a few million

820
00:33:36,789 --> 00:33:35,760
years

821
00:33:39,990 --> 00:33:36,799
and

822
00:33:42,070 --> 00:33:40,000
that allows such a hydrogen iceberg to

823
00:33:43,430 --> 00:33:42,080
traverse a distance that is only one

824
00:33:46,470 --> 00:33:43,440
percent

825
00:33:49,509 --> 00:33:46,480
of the scale of the milky way galaxy so

826
00:33:51,190 --> 00:33:49,519
it must have originated very nearby and

827
00:33:53,509 --> 00:33:51,200
you know there aren't molecular clouds

828
00:33:55,350 --> 00:33:53,519
that could have produced it so nearby to

829
00:33:57,029 --> 00:33:55,360
to to earth you know that it just

830
00:33:59,830 --> 00:33:57,039
doesn't make much we don't even know if

831
00:34:01,350 --> 00:33:59,840
a molecular cloud can produce solid

832
00:34:04,230 --> 00:34:01,360
uh hydrogen

833
00:34:06,710 --> 00:34:04,240
with a scale of a football field we've

834
00:34:08,550 --> 00:34:06,720
never seen anything like it

835
00:34:11,190 --> 00:34:08,560
and then there was the nitrogen iceberg

836
00:34:12,629 --> 00:34:11,200
idea again we have never seen anything

837
00:34:14,550 --> 00:34:12,639
like it and that's supposed to be very

838
00:34:16,470 --> 00:34:14,560
common because that's the first object

839
00:34:20,230 --> 00:34:16,480
we see from out from the intestinal

840
00:34:23,190 --> 00:34:20,240
space and for that actually uh cosmic

841
00:34:24,069 --> 00:34:23,200
ray of operation is quite substantial

842
00:34:25,829 --> 00:34:24,079
and

843
00:34:27,990 --> 00:34:25,839
it doesn't last for more than a few

844
00:34:30,310 --> 00:34:28,000
million years and in fact if you want it

845
00:34:32,470 --> 00:34:30,320
to last half a billion years as

846
00:34:35,030 --> 00:34:32,480
conjectured by the people who propose

847
00:34:36,950 --> 00:34:35,040
the nitrogen iceberg hypothesis

848
00:34:40,629 --> 00:34:36,960
then you need the initial size of the

849
00:34:43,589 --> 00:34:40,639
object to be a hundred times bigger

850
00:34:46,389 --> 00:34:43,599
than the size of a muammua

851
00:34:47,909 --> 00:34:46,399
so that it evaporates almost completely

852
00:34:49,430 --> 00:34:47,919
if you want it to go through

853
00:34:52,149 --> 00:34:49,440
interstellar space

854
00:34:55,510 --> 00:34:52,159
for uh half a billion years it will have

855
00:34:57,670 --> 00:34:55,520
up 99 of its size would get evaporated

856
00:34:59,750 --> 00:34:57,680
you will be left with one percent of the

857
00:35:02,630 --> 00:34:59,760
original size so you have to start with

858
00:35:04,950 --> 00:35:02,640
10 kilometers and then you end up with

859
00:35:07,109 --> 00:35:04,960
hundreds of meters but there is a

860
00:35:09,829 --> 00:35:07,119
problem with the mass budget of nitrogen

861
00:35:12,230 --> 00:35:09,839
there is just not enough nitrogen in the

862
00:35:16,870 --> 00:35:12,240
milky way galaxy and we've shown that in

863
00:35:19,349 --> 00:35:16,880
another paper with my student amir siraj

864
00:35:20,870 --> 00:35:19,359
and this is from a paper that was

865
00:35:22,630 --> 00:35:20,880
published

866
00:35:24,630 --> 00:35:22,640
a month ago

867
00:35:26,470 --> 00:35:24,640
by the people that proposed the hydrogen

868
00:35:29,349 --> 00:35:26,480
iceberg and in the middle of the

869
00:35:31,349 --> 00:35:29,359
abstract they say the hydrogen

870
00:35:34,950 --> 00:35:31,359
and nitrogen models

871
00:35:37,270 --> 00:35:34,960
have serious difficulties

872
00:35:39,670 --> 00:35:37,280
so i say you know if it's something

873
00:35:42,069 --> 00:35:39,680
we've never seen before and those models

874
00:35:45,030 --> 00:35:42,079
have serious difficulties why not

875
00:35:47,190 --> 00:35:45,040
contemplate an artificial origin

876
00:35:49,990 --> 00:35:47,200
and my colleagues say

877
00:35:53,750 --> 00:35:50,000
forget about it business as usual it's

878
00:35:56,950 --> 00:35:56,069
now the way i think of it

879
00:35:59,670 --> 00:35:56,960
is

880
00:36:01,670 --> 00:35:59,680
when you walk on the beach you see

881
00:36:04,230 --> 00:36:01,680
rocks and seashells that are naturally

882
00:36:06,230 --> 00:36:04,240
produced but every now and then you may

883
00:36:08,230 --> 00:36:06,240
see a plastic bottle

884
00:36:11,510 --> 00:36:08,240
and that tells you that there is a

885
00:36:14,470 --> 00:36:11,520
civilization out there

886
00:36:16,230 --> 00:36:14,480
and if you imagine a caveman

887
00:36:17,910 --> 00:36:16,240
finding a cellphone

888
00:36:18,790 --> 00:36:17,920
the first thing that the caveman would

889
00:36:22,230 --> 00:36:18,800
say

890
00:36:25,349 --> 00:36:22,240
is the cellphone is a rock of a type

891
00:36:28,550 --> 00:36:25,359
that i've never seen before

892
00:36:31,349 --> 00:36:28,560
and that's what my colleagues are saying

893
00:36:34,870 --> 00:36:31,359
is a rock of a type that we have never

894
00:36:37,990 --> 00:36:36,550
but of course that's the beginning of a

895
00:36:41,030 --> 00:36:38,000
learning experience because if the

896
00:36:41,990 --> 00:36:41,040
caveman will press a button

897
00:36:44,630 --> 00:36:42,000
then

898
00:36:45,589 --> 00:36:44,640
he would realize that it can record his

899
00:36:47,270 --> 00:36:45,599
voice

900
00:36:49,910 --> 00:36:47,280
if he will press another button it can

901
00:36:51,190 --> 00:36:49,920
record his image at which point it will

902
00:36:55,030 --> 00:36:51,200
become clear

903
00:36:57,430 --> 00:36:55,040
that this is not a rock

904
00:37:00,230 --> 00:36:57,440
so what we need is more data

905
00:37:01,670 --> 00:37:00,240
rather than argue business as usual

906
00:37:03,510 --> 00:37:01,680
because that would be equivalent to the

907
00:37:05,510 --> 00:37:03,520
caveman throwing off the cell phone and

908
00:37:09,910 --> 00:37:05,520
saying oh it's just a rock let's forget

909
00:37:15,030 --> 00:37:12,630
now there was another object discovered

910
00:37:16,630 --> 00:37:15,040
from interstellar space it was given the

911
00:37:19,349 --> 00:37:16,640
name borisov

912
00:37:22,310 --> 00:37:19,359
after the amateur astronomer that

913
00:37:25,670 --> 00:37:22,320
discovered it the gennady borisov

914
00:37:28,630 --> 00:37:25,680
and it looked just like a comet

915
00:37:31,510 --> 00:37:28,640
so my colleagues say said

916
00:37:33,589 --> 00:37:31,520
oh borisov looks like a comet

917
00:37:35,109 --> 00:37:33,599
doesn't it convince you that um is

918
00:37:38,310 --> 00:37:35,119
natural

919
00:37:39,270 --> 00:37:38,320
and my answer is if you find a plastic

920
00:37:42,550 --> 00:37:39,280
bottle

921
00:37:44,950 --> 00:37:42,560
and after that you find a rock

922
00:37:47,829 --> 00:37:44,960
it doesn't make the plastic bottle a

923
00:37:51,750 --> 00:37:49,109
and of course

924
00:37:54,790 --> 00:37:51,760
a picture is worth a thousand words

925
00:37:58,630 --> 00:37:54,800
in my case a picture is worth 66 000

926
00:38:00,630 --> 00:37:58,640
words the number of words in my book

927
00:38:03,430 --> 00:38:00,640
if we had an image like the one

928
00:38:05,670 --> 00:38:03,440
presented in this slide that was taken

929
00:38:08,630 --> 00:38:05,680
by the osiris-rex

930
00:38:10,790 --> 00:38:08,640
uh mission to the asteroid bennu we

931
00:38:12,550 --> 00:38:10,800
could have distinguished easily

932
00:38:15,510 --> 00:38:12,560
between

933
00:38:19,349 --> 00:38:15,520
a rock that we have never seen before

934
00:38:22,470 --> 00:38:19,359
and an artificial object

935
00:38:24,230 --> 00:38:22,480
that has screws and bolts on it

936
00:38:28,310 --> 00:38:24,240
and this mission will actually bring a

937
00:38:31,109 --> 00:38:28,320
sample back to earth in 2023

938
00:38:34,790 --> 00:38:31,119
so just imagine pressing the buttons on

939
00:38:38,790 --> 00:38:36,790
now we tend to think that the play is

940
00:38:39,510 --> 00:38:38,800
about us

941
00:38:41,109 --> 00:38:39,520
but

942
00:38:43,310 --> 00:38:41,119
not so

943
00:38:46,310 --> 00:38:43,320
because the play has been going on for

944
00:38:47,190 --> 00:38:46,320
13.8 billion years we just came at the

945
00:38:50,790 --> 00:38:47,200
end

946
00:38:53,990 --> 00:38:52,790
there was an interesting paper published

947
00:39:02,790 --> 00:38:54,000
in

948
00:39:03,910 --> 00:39:02,800
the city of storm who which is discussed

949
00:39:05,990 --> 00:39:03,920
in the

950
00:39:07,030 --> 00:39:06,000
uh biblical story

951
00:39:12,230 --> 00:39:07,040
uh

952
00:39:13,670 --> 00:39:12,240
result of

953
00:39:15,190 --> 00:39:13,680
a divine

954
00:39:17,430 --> 00:39:15,200
intervention that

955
00:39:19,190 --> 00:39:17,440
basically punished the residents of the

956
00:39:22,710 --> 00:39:19,200
city for their sins

957
00:39:24,150 --> 00:39:22,720
but now an archaeological team studied

958
00:39:25,670 --> 00:39:24,160
uh

959
00:39:28,069 --> 00:39:25,680
a site that

960
00:39:30,470 --> 00:39:28,079
represents potentially where the city

961
00:39:32,950 --> 00:39:30,480
was located and found that most likely

962
00:39:37,670 --> 00:39:32,960
it was hit by a meteor

963
00:39:40,150 --> 00:39:37,680
and this meteor this rock was heading to

964
00:39:43,109 --> 00:39:40,160
a collision course with earth long

965
00:39:47,109 --> 00:39:43,119
before the city was constructed

966
00:39:50,790 --> 00:39:47,119
long before the people that occupied it

967
00:39:53,349 --> 00:39:50,800
decided to commit their sins

968
00:39:55,670 --> 00:39:53,359
and it had nothing to do with their

969
00:39:58,470 --> 00:39:55,680
actions we tend to think that the play

970
00:40:00,230 --> 00:39:58,480
is about us we do something and we get

971
00:40:03,030 --> 00:40:00,240
punished we do something and something

972
00:40:04,950 --> 00:40:03,040
from the sky reflects that no not at all

973
00:40:08,230 --> 00:40:04,960
has nothing to it's a rock that was

974
00:40:10,550 --> 00:40:08,240
heading towards earth long ago and just

975
00:40:12,950 --> 00:40:10,560
impacted this city

976
00:40:14,950 --> 00:40:12,960
and then we interpret it in that way so

977
00:40:18,150 --> 00:40:14,960
there is this human tendency of thinking

978
00:40:21,670 --> 00:40:18,160
that we are everything is about us no

979
00:40:25,030 --> 00:40:21,680
it's not we might be just one ant

980
00:40:25,990 --> 00:40:25,040
out of many on the sidewalk of the milky

981
00:40:27,589 --> 00:40:26,000
way

982
00:40:30,390 --> 00:40:27,599
we are not

983
00:40:36,390 --> 00:40:30,400
central players

984
00:40:40,470 --> 00:40:38,950
and uh one way to find out if there are

985
00:40:43,670 --> 00:40:40,480
other players is

986
00:40:45,910 --> 00:40:43,680
to look in addition uh to searching for

987
00:40:47,589 --> 00:40:45,920
technological relics like the galileo

988
00:40:49,510 --> 00:40:47,599
project is trying to do we can search

989
00:40:51,589 --> 00:40:49,520
for industrial pollution in the

990
00:40:54,870 --> 00:40:51,599
atmospheres of other planets

991
00:40:57,829 --> 00:40:54,880
we can search for city lights on the

992
00:40:59,270 --> 00:40:57,839
night side of proxima b that's a paper

993
00:41:01,430 --> 00:40:59,280
we've written with a student from

994
00:41:03,670 --> 00:41:01,440
stanford a few months ago

995
00:41:07,670 --> 00:41:03,680
you can search for light beams that are

996
00:41:11,510 --> 00:41:07,680
used to propel light sails

997
00:41:13,750 --> 00:41:11,520
and enrico fermi 70 years ago asked

998
00:41:16,710 --> 00:41:13,760
where is everybody

999
00:41:19,030 --> 00:41:16,720
well that to me is very presumptuous

1000
00:41:21,109 --> 00:41:19,040
because it's just like saying i don't

1001
00:41:23,270 --> 00:41:21,119
hear a knock on my door

1002
00:41:25,750 --> 00:41:23,280
i don't see anyone having a party in my

1003
00:41:27,109 --> 00:41:25,760
backyard therefore i don't have

1004
00:41:29,270 --> 00:41:27,119
neighbors

1005
00:41:32,550 --> 00:41:29,280
well just think about it we've been

1006
00:41:33,589 --> 00:41:32,560
documenting our history only for 10 000

1007
00:41:35,910 --> 00:41:33,599
years

1008
00:41:37,910 --> 00:41:35,920
that's one millionth

1009
00:41:40,550 --> 00:41:37,920
of the age

1010
00:41:42,630 --> 00:41:40,560
of the earth so why

1011
00:41:46,309 --> 00:41:42,640
would they visit us

1012
00:41:48,550 --> 00:41:46,319
just when we are ready to look for them

1013
00:41:50,230 --> 00:41:48,560
you know they could have visited us

1014
00:41:52,550 --> 00:41:50,240
millions of years ago if they visited a

1015
00:41:57,349 --> 00:41:52,560
billion years ago there were only

1016
00:42:02,390 --> 00:41:59,670
and moreover it's possible that most of

1017
00:42:05,910 --> 00:42:02,400
those civilizations predated us by a

1018
00:42:08,870 --> 00:42:05,920
long time so by now they're dead

1019
00:42:11,109 --> 00:42:08,880
but we can still search

1020
00:42:13,829 --> 00:42:11,119
for their relics sort of like doing

1021
00:42:17,030 --> 00:42:13,839
archaeology

1022
00:42:19,349 --> 00:42:17,040
and my hope is that this will change the

1023
00:42:21,190 --> 00:42:19,359
way we treat each other

1024
00:42:24,550 --> 00:42:21,200
because if you look at human history

1025
00:42:26,790 --> 00:42:24,560
what you find over and over again

1026
00:42:30,470 --> 00:42:26,800
is this tendency of a group of people to

1027
00:42:33,990 --> 00:42:30,480
feel superior relative to other people

1028
00:42:36,550 --> 00:42:34,000
the best example is the second world war

1029
00:42:41,670 --> 00:42:36,560
where the nazi regime

1030
00:42:43,990 --> 00:42:41,680
triggered the death of 75 million people

1031
00:42:47,589 --> 00:42:44,000
that was three percent of the world

1032
00:42:50,390 --> 00:42:47,599
population in 1940

1033
00:42:52,069 --> 00:42:50,400
and just think about it it's 20 times

1034
00:42:55,589 --> 00:42:52,079
more deaths

1035
00:43:01,589 --> 00:42:59,829
caused by the covet 19 pandemic and we

1036
00:43:03,829 --> 00:43:01,599
speak about coving 19 for a year and a

1037
00:43:06,470 --> 00:43:03,839
half but there was a group of people

1038
00:43:08,150 --> 00:43:06,480
that killed 20 times more

1039
00:43:11,349 --> 00:43:08,160
than the virus

1040
00:43:13,829 --> 00:43:11,359
just because they felt superior

1041
00:43:16,309 --> 00:43:13,839
just think about it

1042
00:43:19,510 --> 00:43:16,319
and uh if we now

1043
00:43:21,670 --> 00:43:19,520
uh imagine finding

1044
00:43:23,670 --> 00:43:21,680
evidence for a civilization far more

1045
00:43:26,550 --> 00:43:23,680
advanced than we are for example if you

1046
00:43:29,270 --> 00:43:26,560
imagine the perseverance rover

1047
00:43:31,750 --> 00:43:29,280
instead of finding evidence for microbes

1048
00:43:34,309 --> 00:43:31,760
on the surface of mars

1049
00:43:36,630 --> 00:43:34,319
you know microbes are

1050
00:43:38,790 --> 00:43:36,640
things that we can feel superior

1051
00:43:41,589 --> 00:43:38,800
relative to but imagine that

1052
00:43:44,710 --> 00:43:41,599
the perseverance rover would bump

1053
00:43:46,790 --> 00:43:44,720
into the wreckage of a spaceship

1054
00:43:49,990 --> 00:43:46,800
that represents technology

1055
00:43:53,109 --> 00:43:50,000
far more advanced than we ever produced

1056
00:43:56,069 --> 00:43:53,119
that would be a blow to the ego

1057
00:43:58,230 --> 00:43:56,079
of many entrepreneurs here on earth

1058
00:43:59,430 --> 00:43:58,240
here is a civilization far more advanced

1059
00:44:01,430 --> 00:43:59,440
than we are

1060
00:44:02,950 --> 00:44:01,440
that produce something

1061
00:44:05,270 --> 00:44:02,960
and my point is

1062
00:44:07,109 --> 00:44:05,280
if we become modest

1063
00:44:09,990 --> 00:44:07,119
it will serve a very important purpose

1064
00:44:11,990 --> 00:44:10,000
because we would realize that all of our

1065
00:44:14,790 --> 00:44:12,000
genetic differences

1066
00:44:18,470 --> 00:44:14,800
are really meaningless

1067
00:44:21,109 --> 00:44:18,480
when there is a smarter kid on the block

1068
00:44:24,790 --> 00:44:21,119
that in fact the

1069
00:44:27,109 --> 00:44:24,800
these small differences that outline the

1070
00:44:30,470 --> 00:44:27,119
uh nazi doctrine

1071
00:44:33,510 --> 00:44:30,480
uh should be forgotten and that we

1072
00:44:37,589 --> 00:44:33,520
should treat each other with respect as

1073
00:44:40,870 --> 00:44:37,599
equal members of the human species

1074
00:44:43,430 --> 00:44:40,880
and so my hope is that finding relics of

1075
00:44:44,550 --> 00:44:43,440
a more intelligent culture would inspire

1076
00:44:46,550 --> 00:44:44,560
us

1077
00:44:48,230 --> 00:44:46,560
to behave better

1078
00:44:50,950 --> 00:44:48,240
thank you i'm actually reading

1079
00:44:52,870 --> 00:44:50,960
extraterrestrial right now

1080
00:44:54,950 --> 00:44:52,880
i'm about two-thirds into the book and i

1081
00:44:56,710 --> 00:44:54,960
i'm enjoying it immensely

1082
00:44:58,550 --> 00:44:56,720
so that this is a plug

1083
00:45:01,109 --> 00:44:58,560
for your book uh but you know one of the

1084
00:45:02,870 --> 00:45:01,119
things i i find interesting um you know

1085
00:45:04,390 --> 00:45:02,880
the sse

1086
00:45:07,190 --> 00:45:04,400
we are you know we provide a

1087
00:45:08,390 --> 00:45:07,200
professional forum for topics that cross

1088
00:45:10,230 --> 00:45:08,400
disciplines

1089
00:45:11,670 --> 00:45:10,240
for topics that don't quite have a

1090
00:45:13,030 --> 00:45:11,680
scientific home

1091
00:45:15,430 --> 00:45:13,040
but also

1092
00:45:17,750 --> 00:45:15,440
for discussion of those factors

1093
00:45:20,309 --> 00:45:17,760
that limit the scope of scientific

1094
00:45:23,030 --> 00:45:20,319
inquiry uh whether that be

1095
00:45:25,270 --> 00:45:23,040
sociological constraints theoretical

1096
00:45:27,829 --> 00:45:25,280
assumptions and so when i'm reading your

1097
00:45:30,390 --> 00:45:27,839
book one thing i'm really enjoying

1098
00:45:32,470 --> 00:45:30,400
is um you kind of you have a perspective

1099
00:45:33,750 --> 00:45:32,480
that i a fresh way of saying things that

1100
00:45:35,589 --> 00:45:33,760
i'm not familiar with even though i've

1101
00:45:37,430 --> 00:45:35,599
been working in edge science fields for

1102
00:45:39,910 --> 00:45:37,440
almost 20 years

1103
00:45:41,510 --> 00:45:39,920
about you know public science about

1104
00:45:43,990 --> 00:45:41,520
public scholarship

1105
00:45:46,390 --> 00:45:44,000
um and and about you know some of those

1106
00:45:47,589 --> 00:45:46,400
factors that that do limit scientific

1107
00:45:49,510 --> 00:45:47,599
inquiry

1108
00:45:51,349 --> 00:45:49,520
one of the analogies that you made and

1109
00:45:53,910 --> 00:45:51,359
forgive me if i'm repeating it

1110
00:45:56,069 --> 00:45:53,920
incorrectly so please correct me but you

1111
00:45:58,470 --> 00:45:56,079
mentioned that when um when it comes to

1112
00:45:59,589 --> 00:45:58,480
this decisions of funding agencies you

1113
00:46:02,630 --> 00:45:59,599
know when we look at our personal

1114
00:46:05,270 --> 00:46:02,640
finances or and and financial reports

1115
00:46:08,150 --> 00:46:05,280
that usually there's about a 20 percent

1116
00:46:09,910 --> 00:46:08,160
that we're willing to to to to have a

1117
00:46:12,470 --> 00:46:09,920
risk on to put some risk in our

1118
00:46:13,910 --> 00:46:12,480
investments on a small percentage uh yet

1119
00:46:15,990 --> 00:46:13,920
we don't see that when it comes to

1120
00:46:17,430 --> 00:46:16,000
public funding of science

1121
00:46:19,109 --> 00:46:17,440
um and so i was wondering if you could

1122
00:46:20,309 --> 00:46:19,119
say a little bit more about that like

1123
00:46:22,630 --> 00:46:20,319
like why do you

1124
00:46:24,710 --> 00:46:22,640
see anybody doing better yeah this is

1125
00:46:27,190 --> 00:46:24,720
really strange because you would expect

1126
00:46:28,710 --> 00:46:27,200
academia to be much more open-minded and

1127
00:46:30,230 --> 00:46:28,720
blue-sky

1128
00:46:31,990 --> 00:46:30,240
oriented but

1129
00:46:34,790 --> 00:46:32,000
what you find is that people are driven

1130
00:46:36,950 --> 00:46:34,800
by the wrong motivation they are driven

1131
00:46:39,829 --> 00:46:36,960
to empower themselves that to improve

1132
00:46:41,910 --> 00:46:39,839
their image not to take risks so that

1133
00:46:43,670 --> 00:46:41,920
they will never make mistakes and you

1134
00:46:45,910 --> 00:46:43,680
know that's the wrong attitude the

1135
00:46:48,950 --> 00:46:45,920
approach in science should be let's

1136
00:46:50,870 --> 00:46:48,960
learn about the world about reality and

1137
00:46:52,309 --> 00:46:50,880
of course we must make some predictions

1138
00:46:54,069 --> 00:46:52,319
that will turn out to be wrong you know

1139
00:46:55,270 --> 00:46:54,079
einstein was wrong three times at the

1140
00:46:57,829 --> 00:46:55,280
end of his

1141
00:46:59,510 --> 00:46:57,839
career and then he he argued that black

1142
00:47:01,510 --> 00:46:59,520
holes do not exist gravitational waves

1143
00:47:03,589 --> 00:47:01,520
do not exist quantum mechanics doesn't

1144
00:47:05,030 --> 00:47:03,599
have spooky action at the distance but

1145
00:47:07,910 --> 00:47:05,040
that's because he worked on the

1146
00:47:10,950 --> 00:47:07,920
frontiers and we need to accept that and

1147
00:47:14,790 --> 00:47:10,960
instead what you see nowadays is a

1148
00:47:16,790 --> 00:47:14,800
tendency to win honors awards to be

1149
00:47:18,550 --> 00:47:16,800
respected to be liked

1150
00:47:21,270 --> 00:47:18,560
on social media

1151
00:47:24,470 --> 00:47:21,280
and what that means is that you take

1152
00:47:26,150 --> 00:47:24,480
very few risks so for example in the uh

1153
00:47:28,390 --> 00:47:26,160
in the context of theoretical physics

1154
00:47:30,549 --> 00:47:28,400
there are speculative ideas about the

1155
00:47:32,870 --> 00:47:30,559
string theory landscape about the

1156
00:47:35,589 --> 00:47:32,880
multiverse about extra dimensions and

1157
00:47:37,990 --> 00:47:35,599
you ask yourself how come people engage

1158
00:47:40,390 --> 00:47:38,000
in this for several decades as the

1159
00:47:42,390 --> 00:47:40,400
mainstream and take it seriously and

1160
00:47:44,710 --> 00:47:42,400
give each other rewards for just solving

1161
00:47:46,870 --> 00:47:44,720
some equations and doing fancy math and

1162
00:47:49,270 --> 00:47:46,880
the answer is because their objective is

1163
00:47:51,430 --> 00:47:49,280
to look smart that's their objective not

1164
00:47:53,670 --> 00:47:51,440
to understand the world and they don't

1165
00:47:55,829 --> 00:47:53,680
put any skin in the game they don't make

1166
00:47:58,150 --> 00:47:55,839
a prediction that can be proven wrong

1167
00:47:59,750 --> 00:47:58,160
and that they have a common thread with

1168
00:48:01,990 --> 00:47:59,760
the community of conservative

1169
00:48:04,230 --> 00:48:02,000
astronomers that would say forget about

1170
00:48:06,790 --> 00:48:04,240
the unusual properties of

1171
00:48:09,990 --> 00:48:06,800
we don't want to discuss it it's natural

1172
00:48:12,470 --> 00:48:10,000
and the end of the story uh and

1173
00:48:14,390 --> 00:48:12,480
i i find a common thread here which is

1174
00:48:17,510 --> 00:48:14,400
not to pay attention to evidences

1175
00:48:18,309 --> 00:48:17,520
guiding us and the one analogy i make is

1176
00:48:20,630 --> 00:48:18,319
with

1177
00:48:22,390 --> 00:48:20,640
bernie madoff you know he claimed

1178
00:48:24,470 --> 00:48:22,400
uh that he can make more money if you

1179
00:48:26,150 --> 00:48:24,480
give him your money he will make more of

1180
00:48:28,870 --> 00:48:26,160
it irrespective of what the stock market

1181
00:48:31,030 --> 00:48:28,880
does and the people were happy with that

1182
00:48:32,870 --> 00:48:31,040
idea it was a beautiful idea just like

1183
00:48:35,190 --> 00:48:32,880
the idea of the multiverse you know it's

1184
00:48:37,270 --> 00:48:35,200
a beautiful idea i don't argue with the

1185
00:48:38,950 --> 00:48:37,280
fact that it's beautiful and people were

1186
00:48:40,630 --> 00:48:38,960
so happy about the beautiful idea of

1187
00:48:42,390 --> 00:48:40,640
bernie madoff that they gave him their

1188
00:48:44,710 --> 00:48:42,400
money what could be better evidence than

1189
00:48:46,950 --> 00:48:44,720
that and then he was very happy because

1190
00:48:49,430 --> 00:48:46,960
they gave him his their money so he

1191
00:48:51,589 --> 00:48:49,440
could use it and everyone was happy

1192
00:48:53,670 --> 00:48:51,599
until they did the experiment which was

1193
00:48:55,829 --> 00:48:53,680
to ask for their money back and when

1194
00:48:57,190 --> 00:48:55,839
they did the experiment he was put in

1195
00:48:59,190 --> 00:48:57,200
jail now

1196
00:49:01,349 --> 00:48:59,200
at the only way for us to figure out if

1197
00:49:03,910 --> 00:49:01,359
an idea that looks beautiful to all of

1198
00:49:06,309 --> 00:49:03,920
us to everyone on social media to all

1199
00:49:07,829 --> 00:49:06,319
the tweets that like it

1200
00:49:11,270 --> 00:49:07,839
the only way for us to figure out if

1201
00:49:12,630 --> 00:49:11,280
it's real or not is to do an experiment

1202
00:49:14,870 --> 00:49:12,640
because we want to figure out whether

1203
00:49:16,710 --> 00:49:14,880
it's a ponzi scheme or not it could be

1204
00:49:18,150 --> 00:49:16,720
beautiful but it could still be a ponzi

1205
00:49:19,990 --> 00:49:18,160
scheme and

1206
00:49:21,910 --> 00:49:20,000
how do we figure it out by doing the

1207
00:49:23,510 --> 00:49:21,920
experiment now if you shy away from

1208
00:49:25,109 --> 00:49:23,520
experiments because you don't want to

1209
00:49:27,430 --> 00:49:25,119
put any skin in the game you don't want

1210
00:49:28,870 --> 00:49:27,440
to risk your reputation you shy away

1211
00:49:31,910 --> 00:49:28,880
from that you do just mathematical

1212
00:49:34,710 --> 00:49:31,920
gymnastics basically ask how many angels

1213
00:49:35,910 --> 00:49:34,720
can dance on the tip of a pin in 10

1214
00:49:37,510 --> 00:49:35,920
dimensions

1215
00:49:39,910 --> 00:49:37,520
it's a beautiful question you can

1216
00:49:41,829 --> 00:49:39,920
develop fancy math to

1217
00:49:43,990 --> 00:49:41,839
you know describe the the dance of the

1218
00:49:45,990 --> 00:49:44,000
angels on the tip of a pin it's not

1219
00:49:48,069 --> 00:49:46,000
relevant to anything that

1220
00:49:49,109 --> 00:49:48,079
you know touches on the daily lives of

1221
00:49:51,990 --> 00:49:49,119
people

1222
00:49:54,470 --> 00:49:52,000
and on the other hand if there is

1223
00:49:56,230 --> 00:49:54,480
a smarter kid on our cosmic block that

1224
00:49:59,190 --> 00:49:56,240
would have a huge impact on the future

1225
00:50:01,910 --> 00:49:59,200
of society and you find ridicule and

1226
00:50:03,990 --> 00:50:01,920
push back on discussing that and i ask

1227
00:50:06,150 --> 00:50:04,000
you how is that possible something is

1228
00:50:08,549 --> 00:50:06,160
really wrong with the current culture in

1229
00:50:10,950 --> 00:50:08,559
academia and the way i see it you know

1230
00:50:13,349 --> 00:50:10,960
it reminds me when i was a kid the most

1231
00:50:14,150 --> 00:50:13,359
vivid memory i have from my childhood

1232
00:50:16,870 --> 00:50:14,160
was

1233
00:50:19,190 --> 00:50:16,880
attending dinner and asking a difficult

1234
00:50:20,870 --> 00:50:19,200
question and then the adults in the room

1235
00:50:22,470 --> 00:50:20,880
would pretend that they know much more

1236
00:50:25,270 --> 00:50:22,480
than they actually know

1237
00:50:27,349 --> 00:50:25,280
and then that was the good experience

1238
00:50:29,190 --> 00:50:27,359
the bad experience was when the adults

1239
00:50:30,870 --> 00:50:29,200
would simply ridicule the question

1240
00:50:32,150 --> 00:50:30,880
dismiss it simply because they didn't

1241
00:50:35,030 --> 00:50:32,160
know the answer

1242
00:50:37,910 --> 00:50:35,040
and i thought that by entering science i

1243
00:50:40,309 --> 00:50:37,920
would be surrounded by like-minded

1244
00:50:43,270 --> 00:50:40,319
people that want to figure out the world

1245
00:50:46,150 --> 00:50:43,280
without putting their ego first

1246
00:50:48,309 --> 00:50:46,160
okay and unfortunately what i find is a

1247
00:50:49,349 --> 00:50:48,319
completely different reality i basically

1248
00:50:52,790 --> 00:50:49,359
uh

1249
00:50:55,750 --> 00:50:52,800
get a deja vu feeling when i interact

1250
00:50:59,910 --> 00:50:55,760
with people in academia these days of

1251
00:51:01,430 --> 00:50:59,920
the way i felt when i was a child

1252
00:51:03,430 --> 00:51:01,440
yeah that's a really good analogy that

1253
00:51:05,589 --> 00:51:03,440
makes a lot of sense um we've got a lot

1254
00:51:09,190 --> 00:51:05,599
of questions lined up here

1255
00:51:11,270 --> 00:51:09,200
um so here's this is a quick one uh what

1256
00:51:13,109 --> 00:51:11,280
is the status of the breakthrough

1257
00:51:15,829 --> 00:51:13,119
starshot effort

1258
00:51:19,270 --> 00:51:15,839
so we defined the three challenges that

1259
00:51:21,829 --> 00:51:19,280
are the major ones to address first and

1260
00:51:24,710 --> 00:51:21,839
those are uh first

1261
00:51:26,950 --> 00:51:24,720
how to develop the laser beam such that

1262
00:51:29,750 --> 00:51:26,960
you know we can combine many small power

1263
00:51:32,630 --> 00:51:29,760
lasers into one coherent beam that we

1264
00:51:35,270 --> 00:51:32,640
call the photon engine and we have an

1265
00:51:37,030 --> 00:51:35,280
effort on that we allocated funds to

1266
00:51:39,510 --> 00:51:37,040
individual research groups trying to

1267
00:51:40,309 --> 00:51:39,520
address that then the second challenge

1268
00:51:42,790 --> 00:51:40,319
is

1269
00:51:44,950 --> 00:51:42,800
uh the light sale uh finding the right

1270
00:51:47,190 --> 00:51:44,960
material and the shape of the light cell

1271
00:51:49,829 --> 00:51:47,200
that's the second challenge for which we

1272
00:51:52,390 --> 00:51:49,839
awarded about more than a dozen or two

1273
00:51:53,750 --> 00:51:52,400
dozen grants already

1274
00:51:55,990 --> 00:51:53,760
and then the third challenge is

1275
00:51:58,950 --> 00:51:56,000
communication which we just awarded

1276
00:52:01,510 --> 00:51:58,960
there's some grants recently um how to

1277
00:52:04,069 --> 00:52:01,520
communicate across four light years so

1278
00:52:05,990 --> 00:52:04,079
we are still in the phase where we hope

1279
00:52:08,150 --> 00:52:06,000
to bring together the conclusions from

1280
00:52:10,150 --> 00:52:08,160
these early studies and see

1281
00:52:12,549 --> 00:52:10,160
if there is any showstopper that's

1282
00:52:14,870 --> 00:52:12,559
that's the main question if if something

1283
00:52:17,270 --> 00:52:14,880
looks completely

1284
00:52:18,790 --> 00:52:17,280
infeasible unfeasible you know not

1285
00:52:19,510 --> 00:52:18,800
practical then

1286
00:52:21,990 --> 00:52:19,520
we

1287
00:52:24,390 --> 00:52:22,000
might decide to give up on this but so

1288
00:52:26,790 --> 00:52:24,400
far it doesn't look that way and

1289
00:52:29,030 --> 00:52:26,800
we have various suggestions for solving

1290
00:52:30,150 --> 00:52:29,040
these challenges

1291
00:52:32,150 --> 00:52:30,160
okay

1292
00:52:34,630 --> 00:52:32,160
um another question is about the general

1293
00:52:36,710 --> 00:52:34,640
attitude of the international community

1294
00:52:39,430 --> 00:52:36,720
has it changed somewhat in recent years

1295
00:52:41,349 --> 00:52:39,440
uh regarding for instance the pentagon

1296
00:52:43,190 --> 00:52:41,359
videos uh with regard to

1297
00:52:45,030 --> 00:52:43,200
extraterrestrial life

1298
00:52:47,589 --> 00:52:45,040
no i mean i i wouldn't say that it

1299
00:52:48,630 --> 00:52:47,599
changed um what i would say is that the

1300
00:52:51,670 --> 00:52:48,640
public

1301
00:52:53,910 --> 00:52:51,680
has its heart in the right place uh and

1302
00:52:56,549 --> 00:52:53,920
of course the government did change the

1303
00:52:58,309 --> 00:52:56,559
tone of its discussions on this subject

1304
00:53:00,390 --> 00:52:58,319
the latest development is the congress

1305
00:53:02,470 --> 00:53:00,400
asking to establish this department that

1306
00:53:05,430 --> 00:53:02,480
will deal with unidentified aerial

1307
00:53:07,430 --> 00:53:05,440
phenomena and what i'm

1308
00:53:09,829 --> 00:53:07,440
trying to change is through the galileo

1309
00:53:12,069 --> 00:53:09,839
project to bring this subject into the

1310
00:53:13,829 --> 00:53:12,079
mainstream of science and it's still

1311
00:53:15,990 --> 00:53:13,839
being ridiculous

1312
00:53:18,790 --> 00:53:16,000
this project is funded by

1313
00:53:20,549 --> 00:53:18,800
donations that we're not allocating this

1314
00:53:23,030 --> 00:53:20,559
these funds to anything

1315
00:53:24,390 --> 00:53:23,040
else you know that's new money so to

1316
00:53:25,430 --> 00:53:24,400
speak

1317
00:53:27,750 --> 00:53:25,440
and

1318
00:53:29,190 --> 00:53:27,760
moreover we are seeking evidence you

1319
00:53:31,349 --> 00:53:29,200
know that's is

1320
00:53:34,470 --> 00:53:31,359
the natural way that science progresses

1321
00:53:36,630 --> 00:53:34,480
by evidence so i cannot understand why a

1322
00:53:39,750 --> 00:53:36,640
scientist would have a problem with this

1323
00:53:41,589 --> 00:53:39,760
project that is funded by donations that

1324
00:53:42,630 --> 00:53:41,599
were not allocating funds to science

1325
00:53:43,670 --> 00:53:42,640
before

1326
00:53:46,470 --> 00:53:43,680
and

1327
00:53:48,790 --> 00:53:46,480
that is trying to seek evidence to me it

1328
00:53:51,349 --> 00:53:48,800
sounds like a win-win proposition

1329
00:53:54,069 --> 00:53:51,359
nevertheless you know we don't get

1330
00:53:57,270 --> 00:53:54,079
support from uh many people but there

1331
00:53:59,190 --> 00:53:57,280
are uh 70 scientists engaged in the

1332
00:54:01,510 --> 00:53:59,200
project and are very enthusiastic about

1333
00:54:04,470 --> 00:54:01,520
it so my hope is this will break the ice

1334
00:54:07,430 --> 00:54:04,480
and change the way that this subject is

1335
00:54:09,270 --> 00:54:07,440
treated because you know i don't regard

1336
00:54:11,829 --> 00:54:09,280
it as more speculative than the search

1337
00:54:14,069 --> 00:54:11,839
for weakly interacting massive particles

1338
00:54:16,630 --> 00:54:14,079
is the dark matter which hasn't found

1339
00:54:19,030 --> 00:54:16,640
them yet

1340
00:54:21,190 --> 00:54:19,040
so we have a question a raised hand from

1341
00:54:28,069 --> 00:54:21,200
one of our student members so i'm gonna

1342
00:54:31,750 --> 00:54:29,510
hey um

1343
00:54:33,430 --> 00:54:31,760
so i had a comment about einstein he was

1344
00:54:35,510 --> 00:54:33,440
wrong a lot more than three times with

1345
00:54:38,870 --> 00:54:35,520
all the teleparalism and all those but

1346
00:54:40,470 --> 00:54:38,880
um as a question i guess

1347
00:54:41,670 --> 00:54:40,480
it's more a question of tone and

1348
00:54:44,150 --> 00:54:41,680
humbleness than necessarily like

1349
00:54:45,829 --> 00:54:44,160
scientific fact is so you convinced me

1350
00:54:47,190 --> 00:54:45,839
that um

1351
00:54:48,870 --> 00:54:47,200
there's very compelling evidence that

1352
00:54:49,990 --> 00:54:48,880
there's an anomaly that we can't explain

1353
00:54:50,829 --> 00:54:50,000
with you know

1354
00:54:53,270 --> 00:54:50,839
any

1355
00:54:55,270 --> 00:54:53,280
conceivable current theory we're going

1356
00:54:57,030 --> 00:54:55,280
to these very elaborate speculative

1357
00:54:58,789 --> 00:54:57,040
hydrogen icebergs to try and explain it

1358
00:54:59,990 --> 00:54:58,799
but there's also i think

1359
00:55:01,109 --> 00:55:00,000
at least to me there's an equivalent

1360
00:55:03,910 --> 00:55:01,119
danger of

1361
00:55:05,510 --> 00:55:03,920
generalizing on one anomaly to these

1362
00:55:07,670 --> 00:55:05,520
very very large metaphysical

1363
00:55:09,430 --> 00:55:07,680
implications of there are aliens that

1364
00:55:11,190 --> 00:55:09,440
have obviously a very big impact in the

1365
00:55:12,710 --> 00:55:11,200
public and i guess the question is you

1366
00:55:14,390 --> 00:55:12,720
know

1367
00:55:16,390 --> 00:55:14,400
obviously we have to be very careful

1368
00:55:18,150 --> 00:55:16,400
with the facts and and trust them and

1369
00:55:19,670 --> 00:55:18,160
follow them but how do we

1370
00:55:21,349 --> 00:55:19,680
avoid our own hubris and think just

1371
00:55:22,710 --> 00:55:21,359
because we haven't come up with a

1372
00:55:23,990 --> 00:55:22,720
plausible explanation for this that's

1373
00:55:25,750 --> 00:55:24,000
not there so i guess it's just like the

1374
00:55:26,950 --> 00:55:25,760
tone of how we present this as we search

1375
00:55:29,750 --> 00:55:26,960
for more evidence is kind of what i'm

1376
00:55:32,390 --> 00:55:29,760
interested in well okay so science is

1377
00:55:35,510 --> 00:55:32,400
not about so much the presentation it's

1378
00:55:37,270 --> 00:55:35,520
about reality okay so yeah my my point

1379
00:55:38,870 --> 00:55:37,280
about this object is that it's

1380
00:55:42,069 --> 00:55:38,880
intriguing enough

1381
00:55:43,990 --> 00:55:42,079
to motivate us to get better data

1382
00:55:47,030 --> 00:55:44,000
on future objects that belong to the

1383
00:55:49,030 --> 00:55:47,040
same class and that's all that's all so

1384
00:55:51,109 --> 00:55:49,040
the bottom line from this is get more

1385
00:55:52,870 --> 00:55:51,119
evidence get a high resolution image

1386
00:55:53,750 --> 00:55:52,880
from a spacecraft that

1387
00:55:56,710 --> 00:55:53,760
uh

1388
00:55:58,470 --> 00:55:56,720
flies close to a future object that

1389
00:56:00,950 --> 00:55:58,480
doesn't look like a comet or an asteroid

1390
00:56:02,710 --> 00:56:00,960
similar to omuamua that comes from

1391
00:56:06,309 --> 00:56:02,720
interstellar space and get a high

1392
00:56:11,270 --> 00:56:09,030
let's not assume that it's natural let's

1393
00:56:12,710 --> 00:56:11,280
just say it's very intriguing and by the

1394
00:56:14,309 --> 00:56:12,720
way that's the approach of a kid you

1395
00:56:16,710 --> 00:56:14,319
know a kid sees something unusual it

1396
00:56:19,109 --> 00:56:16,720
says what is it let's find out whereas

1397
00:56:22,150 --> 00:56:19,119
the adult says ah it must be something

1398
00:56:23,829 --> 00:56:22,160
that i've seen before and my point is

1399
00:56:25,670 --> 00:56:23,839
you know we we will never learn

1400
00:56:27,750 --> 00:56:25,680
something new if we approach everything

1401
00:56:30,470 --> 00:56:27,760
that doesn't line up with our

1402
00:56:33,750 --> 00:56:30,480
uh prejudice you know and it reminds me

1403
00:56:37,349 --> 00:56:33,760
of a phd thesis defense that i attended

1404
00:56:39,270 --> 00:56:37,359
at harvard where the student was saying

1405
00:56:40,069 --> 00:56:39,280
this is the predict you know i worked

1406
00:56:41,990 --> 00:56:40,079
for

1407
00:56:44,789 --> 00:56:42,000
several years on the prediction from the

1408
00:56:46,950 --> 00:56:44,799
standard model of cosmology

1409
00:56:49,910 --> 00:56:46,960
with respect to this future

1410
00:56:51,829 --> 00:56:49,920
data okay and i said okay now suppose

1411
00:56:53,670 --> 00:56:51,839
the data doesn't agree with what you

1412
00:56:55,589 --> 00:56:53,680
calculated

1413
00:56:57,750 --> 00:56:55,599
would you conclude would you conclude

1414
00:56:58,470 --> 00:56:57,760
that the standard model is wrong and she

1415
00:57:01,109 --> 00:56:58,480
said

1416
00:57:02,950 --> 00:57:01,119
no it may be that something in my

1417
00:57:04,789 --> 00:57:02,960
assumptions is wrong and i say to myself

1418
00:57:06,710 --> 00:57:04,799
that's not a honest scientific

1419
00:57:08,789 --> 00:57:06,720
discussion

1420
00:57:10,309 --> 00:57:08,799
you know the same happened with a senior

1421
00:57:11,910 --> 00:57:10,319
person that talked about string theory

1422
00:57:14,069 --> 00:57:11,920
he gave a talk talking connected string

1423
00:57:16,789 --> 00:57:14,079
theory to the early universe and i said

1424
00:57:18,710 --> 00:57:16,799
oh that's great now if we find something

1425
00:57:20,549 --> 00:57:18,720
that contradicts your predictions about

1426
00:57:23,030 --> 00:57:20,559
the early universe will that rule out

1427
00:57:25,109 --> 00:57:23,040
string theory and he said no it will

1428
00:57:27,589 --> 00:57:25,119
just rule out the connection that i made

1429
00:57:29,510 --> 00:57:27,599
string theory always be right and that

1430
00:57:31,510 --> 00:57:29,520
me that to me and by the way it keeps

1431
00:57:33,109 --> 00:57:31,520
repeating and also in the context of

1432
00:57:35,829 --> 00:57:33,119
you know people said it's a natural

1433
00:57:38,870 --> 00:57:35,839
object and then a few months later they

1434
00:57:40,549 --> 00:57:38,880
said oh no wait maybe it's a hydrogen

1435
00:57:41,990 --> 00:57:40,559
iceberg maybe it's a nitrogen iceberg

1436
00:57:43,430 --> 00:57:42,000
maybe it's a death bunny these were

1437
00:57:46,789 --> 00:57:43,440
different groups of people i say to

1438
00:57:49,430 --> 00:57:46,799
myself how can it be that a big group of

1439
00:57:51,990 --> 00:57:49,440
leaders on the interpretation of rocks

1440
00:57:54,470 --> 00:57:52,000
would declare it natural before other

1441
00:57:56,950 --> 00:57:54,480
people would say would write full papers

1442
00:57:58,470 --> 00:57:56,960
multiple papers

1443
00:58:01,990 --> 00:57:58,480
so i'm saying the scientific

1444
00:58:04,230 --> 00:58:02,000
deliberation currently is not honest

1445
00:58:06,630 --> 00:58:04,240
that's my basic point

1446
00:58:08,789 --> 00:58:06,640
those mainstream people they want the

1447
00:58:10,470 --> 00:58:08,799
conclusion to hold irrespective of the

1448
00:58:13,430 --> 00:58:10,480
facts and what we need is to get more

1449
00:58:15,109 --> 00:58:13,440
facts more evidence that's all thanks

1450
00:58:17,589 --> 00:58:15,119
yeah thank you paul for your question

1451
00:58:19,430 --> 00:58:17,599
this is don crosby donder who is one of

1452
00:58:21,109 --> 00:58:19,440
our full members and so i will hand him

1453
00:58:23,030 --> 00:58:21,119
the mic

1454
00:58:25,349 --> 00:58:23,040
so much professor loeb and i already

1455
00:58:27,190 --> 00:58:25,359
know each other online and so this is

1456
00:58:29,270 --> 00:58:27,200
not our first acquaintance and i don't

1457
00:58:31,349 --> 00:58:29,280
have anything to say except positive

1458
00:58:33,190 --> 00:58:31,359
things about professor loeb's talk i

1459
00:58:36,069 --> 00:58:33,200
just wanted to point out that the

1460
00:58:38,390 --> 00:58:36,079
evidence for extraterrestrial presence

1461
00:58:41,510 --> 00:58:38,400
collected by other kinds of instruments

1462
00:58:44,549 --> 00:58:41,520
cameras radars and eyewitness testimony

1463
00:58:46,789 --> 00:58:44,559
goes back at least to 1946 and actually

1464
00:58:49,910 --> 00:58:46,799
i've studied some of that evidence

1465
00:58:51,270 --> 00:58:49,920
in hypothesis testing experiments two of

1466
00:58:53,349 --> 00:58:51,280
which have been published in the journal

1467
00:58:56,069 --> 00:58:53,359
of scientific exploration uh that's all

1468
00:58:58,950 --> 00:58:56,079
i have to say it's just that the uh

1469
00:59:01,430 --> 00:58:58,960
amana evidence is new the ufo evidence

1470
00:59:02,950 --> 00:59:01,440
or so-called ufo evidence is not new and

1471
00:59:04,950 --> 00:59:02,960
a lot of it has been verified thanks

1472
00:59:06,549 --> 00:59:04,960
very much i've enjoyed the talk and what

1473
00:59:08,710 --> 00:59:06,559
i think is really that we need to

1474
00:59:09,990 --> 00:59:08,720
collect more evidence that will convince

1475
00:59:11,589 --> 00:59:10,000
the mainstream of the scientific

1476
00:59:13,430 --> 00:59:11,599
community that's my approach basically

1477
00:59:15,910 --> 00:59:13,440
with the galileo project so

1478
00:59:17,829 --> 00:59:15,920
my goal is really to bring it to the

1479
00:59:19,349 --> 00:59:17,839
forefront of science rather than being

1480
00:59:20,789 --> 00:59:19,359
ridiculed by scientists which is

1481
00:59:24,950 --> 00:59:20,799
inappropriate i completely agree with

1482
00:59:30,789 --> 00:59:27,750
okay i'm going to now

1483
00:59:32,390 --> 00:59:30,799
pass pass the mic to michael nunn

1484
00:59:33,910 --> 00:59:32,400
hello

1485
00:59:35,670 --> 00:59:33,920
thank you very much for your talk i

1486
00:59:37,750 --> 00:59:35,680
really enjoyed it very much and also

1487
00:59:41,349 --> 00:59:37,760
like your attitude towards science and

1488
00:59:42,589 --> 00:59:41,359
scientists now my question is about

1489
00:59:44,950 --> 00:59:42,599
the

1490
00:59:49,030 --> 00:59:44,960
phenomenology of ufos

1491
00:59:53,510 --> 00:59:49,040
who behave rather weird they move in

1492
00:59:56,470 --> 00:59:53,520
weird ways they may disappear and

1493
00:59:59,030 --> 00:59:56,480
appear again so my question is do you

1494
01:00:00,789 --> 00:59:59,040
know these hyper spatial models of your

1495
01:00:02,630 --> 01:00:00,799
colleague bernard carr who is a

1496
01:00:05,270 --> 01:00:02,640
professor of astronomy and at the

1497
01:00:07,910 --> 01:00:05,280
university in london and might it be

1498
01:00:10,549 --> 01:00:07,920
possible that these objects also can

1499
01:00:13,190 --> 01:00:10,559
travel faster than light maybe using

1500
01:00:15,430 --> 01:00:13,200
these types of physics we don't even

1501
01:00:17,190 --> 01:00:15,440
know yet so that we might even be able

1502
01:00:19,430 --> 01:00:17,200
to accelerate this

1503
01:00:21,270 --> 01:00:19,440
process of checking out our universe and

1504
01:00:22,549 --> 01:00:21,280
our neighborhood instead of relying on

1505
01:00:24,789 --> 01:00:22,559
these um

1506
01:00:26,069 --> 01:00:24,799
rather conventional physical

1507
01:00:28,069 --> 01:00:26,079
technologies

1508
01:00:30,710 --> 01:00:28,079
yeah i mean it's definitely possible

1509
01:00:31,829 --> 01:00:30,720
that we will end up finding that

1510
01:00:36,069 --> 01:00:31,839
they are

1511
01:00:38,309 --> 01:00:36,079
we do not possess that in fact they they

1512
01:00:40,470 --> 01:00:38,319
violate what we know about

1513
01:00:41,349 --> 01:00:40,480
the standard model of physics

1514
01:00:43,109 --> 01:00:41,359
but

1515
01:00:44,950 --> 01:00:43,119
the way that the galileo project will

1516
01:00:46,950 --> 01:00:44,960
approach it is trying without any

1517
01:00:48,630 --> 01:00:46,960
prejudice without any assumptions

1518
01:00:50,150 --> 01:00:48,640
collecting the data and seeing how they

1519
01:00:52,309 --> 01:00:50,160
move now

1520
01:00:53,910 --> 01:00:52,319
i saw a lot of incorrect statements in

1521
01:00:56,549 --> 01:00:53,920
the you know

1522
01:00:58,630 --> 01:00:56,559
out there of peeping people saying oh

1523
01:00:59,829 --> 01:00:58,640
they move very fast and therefore they

1524
01:01:01,670 --> 01:00:59,839
must be

1525
01:01:03,750 --> 01:01:01,680
uh violating the laws of physics that's

1526
01:01:06,150 --> 01:01:03,760
not true because for example uh

1527
01:01:10,549 --> 01:01:06,160
artillery shells you know they move at

1528
01:01:12,470 --> 01:01:10,559
100 000 g and they have um

1529
01:01:13,349 --> 01:01:12,480
electronic equipment

1530
01:01:15,510 --> 01:01:13,359
so

1531
01:01:16,549 --> 01:01:15,520
we ourself are producing

1532
01:01:17,349 --> 01:01:16,559
um

1533
01:01:19,589 --> 01:01:17,359
you know

1534
01:01:22,549 --> 01:01:19,599
objects that can sustain very high

1535
01:01:24,150 --> 01:01:22,559
accelerations with electronics in them

1536
01:01:26,309 --> 01:01:24,160
it doesn't violate the laws of physics

1537
01:01:27,510 --> 01:01:26,319
but if something moves faster than light

1538
01:01:29,270 --> 01:01:27,520
as you said

1539
01:01:31,750 --> 01:01:29,280
that would violate what we know from

1540
01:01:33,510 --> 01:01:31,760
einstein's theory of special relativity

1541
01:01:35,349 --> 01:01:33,520
and that would be really intriguing so

1542
01:01:37,910 --> 01:01:35,359
the way we approach it with the galileo

1543
01:01:40,549 --> 01:01:37,920
project is not to assume anything just

1544
01:01:42,710 --> 01:01:40,559
monitor the motion of these objects and

1545
01:01:45,109 --> 01:01:42,720
get a high resolution image if if

1546
01:01:47,510 --> 01:01:45,119
possible and and then we can analyze the

1547
01:01:49,190 --> 01:01:47,520
data in an open way so everyone can see

1548
01:01:51,670 --> 01:01:49,200
the data it will not be classified

1549
01:01:53,829 --> 01:01:51,680
because the sky is not classified

1550
01:01:55,990 --> 01:01:53,839
and the first assumption would be let's

1551
01:01:58,789 --> 01:01:56,000
try to explain what we see using the

1552
01:02:01,430 --> 01:01:58,799
standard model of physics if we can't it

1553
01:02:02,950 --> 01:02:01,440
would be even a more major discovery not

1554
01:02:05,270 --> 01:02:02,960
only we will find

1555
01:02:07,829 --> 01:02:05,280
something new about our neighbors you

1556
01:02:10,390 --> 01:02:07,839
know but we will also find something new

1557
01:02:13,190 --> 01:02:10,400
about physics which i should say is of

1558
01:02:15,510 --> 01:02:13,200
greater significance because it would

1559
01:02:17,829 --> 01:02:15,520
imply that we understand reality the

1560
01:02:19,349 --> 01:02:17,839
physical laws of nature

1561
01:02:22,150 --> 01:02:19,359
that should apply everywhere in the

1562
01:02:24,470 --> 01:02:22,160
universe in a different way and

1563
01:02:26,470 --> 01:02:24,480
you know i want to do it in steps at

1564
01:02:28,390 --> 01:02:26,480
first assume that the standard laws of

1565
01:02:30,710 --> 01:02:28,400
physics apply and then if we see a

1566
01:02:32,789 --> 01:02:30,720
violation of them conclusively you know

1567
01:02:36,309 --> 01:02:32,799
without any doubt based on all the data

1568
01:02:38,549 --> 01:02:36,319
we have we will report that definitely

1569
01:02:41,589 --> 01:02:38,559
make sense thank you

1570
01:02:44,390 --> 01:02:41,599
thank you michael uh so we do have a

1571
01:02:46,390 --> 01:02:44,400
winning question

1572
01:02:47,990 --> 01:02:46,400
what is what relationship do you have

1573
01:02:49,750 --> 01:02:48,000
with the study group and do you

1574
01:02:51,430 --> 01:02:49,760
coordinate with such groups well that's

1575
01:02:53,430 --> 01:02:51,440
really interesting that's an excellent

1576
01:02:55,349 --> 01:02:53,440
question because

1577
01:02:56,230 --> 01:02:55,359
what i found well first of all i should

1578
01:02:58,069 --> 01:02:56,240
say

1579
01:03:01,510 --> 01:02:58,079
for 70 years we've been searching for

1580
01:03:03,430 --> 01:03:01,520
radio signals and laser beams

1581
01:03:05,270 --> 01:03:03,440
and we didn't find any

1582
01:03:08,470 --> 01:03:05,280
um and

1583
01:03:10,230 --> 01:03:08,480
uh to me it's like trying to have a fun

1584
01:03:11,750 --> 01:03:10,240
conversation you need the counterpart to

1585
01:03:14,630 --> 01:03:11,760
be active when you are having the

1586
01:03:17,190 --> 01:03:14,640
conversation and uh i think that it may

1587
01:03:19,109 --> 01:03:17,200
be the wrong approach because perhaps

1588
01:03:21,270 --> 01:03:19,119
well for two reasons one

1589
01:03:22,950 --> 01:03:21,280
the civilizations that predated us are

1590
01:03:24,549 --> 01:03:22,960
not around anymore so you can't have a

1591
01:03:26,950 --> 01:03:24,559
conversation you know with an old

1592
01:03:28,150 --> 01:03:26,960
civilization that died by now but

1593
01:03:29,670 --> 01:03:28,160
moreover

1594
01:03:31,510 --> 01:03:29,680
why should they be exactly the same

1595
01:03:33,190 --> 01:03:31,520
technological phase so that we will be

1596
01:03:34,789 --> 01:03:33,200
able to understand their signals you

1597
01:03:37,029 --> 01:03:34,799
know and um

1598
01:03:39,270 --> 01:03:37,039
so um it's possible they're far more

1599
01:03:41,190 --> 01:03:39,280
advanced and we don't really figure out

1600
01:03:43,270 --> 01:03:41,200
that they're actually communicating with

1601
01:03:45,270 --> 01:03:43,280
us in ways that we we don't understand

1602
01:03:47,270 --> 01:03:45,280
you know and um

1603
01:03:49,430 --> 01:03:47,280
so my point is it's a much better

1604
01:03:52,069 --> 01:03:49,440
approach to look for objects that were

1605
01:03:54,390 --> 01:03:52,079
sent because they survived

1606
01:03:55,910 --> 01:03:54,400
billions of years as they travel through

1607
01:03:59,430 --> 01:03:55,920
space and that's a completely different

1608
01:04:01,990 --> 01:03:59,440
approach that was not searched

1609
01:04:04,230 --> 01:04:02,000
as of until the galileo project you know

1610
01:04:05,829 --> 01:04:04,240
so we are really embarking on new

1611
01:04:08,789 --> 01:04:05,839
territory and of course there are the

1612
01:04:10,230 --> 01:04:08,799
uap reports the ufo reports but we are

1613
01:04:12,630 --> 01:04:10,240
trying to bring it

1614
01:04:13,670 --> 01:04:12,640
to the realm of mainstream science by

1615
01:04:14,710 --> 01:04:13,680
using

1616
01:04:17,029 --> 01:04:14,720
in uh

1617
01:04:19,430 --> 01:04:17,039
telescope systems instruments that are

1618
01:04:21,270 --> 01:04:19,440
state of the art to look at the sky i

1619
01:04:24,309 --> 01:04:21,280
was asked by administrators at harvard

1620
01:04:26,870 --> 01:04:24,319
if it relates to my day job this galileo

1621
01:04:29,510 --> 01:04:26,880
project and i basically said throughout

1622
01:04:31,589 --> 01:04:29,520
the decades that i practiced astronomy i

1623
01:04:33,510 --> 01:04:31,599
was interpreting data collected by

1624
01:04:35,910 --> 01:04:33,520
telescopes and that's what the galileo

1625
01:04:38,069 --> 01:04:35,920
project is trying to do collecting data

1626
01:04:40,870 --> 01:04:38,079
there is no lower limit on the distance

1627
01:04:43,510 --> 01:04:40,880
of objects in astronomy we study the sun

1628
01:04:44,549 --> 01:04:43,520
we study meteors we study asteroids and

1629
01:04:46,470 --> 01:04:44,559
so

1630
01:04:49,510 --> 01:04:46,480
trying to figure out the nature of uap

1631
01:04:51,270 --> 01:04:49,520
with telescopes is part of astronomy so

1632
01:04:53,190 --> 01:04:51,280
the administration at harvard agreed and

1633
01:04:56,150 --> 01:04:53,200
that's part of my day job

1634
01:04:57,109 --> 01:04:56,160
and so i hope that by getting better

1635
01:04:59,990 --> 01:04:57,119
data

1636
01:05:02,549 --> 01:05:00,000
we will either see something unusual or

1637
01:05:03,589 --> 01:05:02,559
not but at any event we'll advance our

1638
01:05:06,470 --> 01:05:03,599
knowledge

1639
01:05:08,470 --> 01:05:06,480
uh in a scientific way and bring it to

1640
01:05:09,750 --> 01:05:08,480
the mainstream

1641
01:05:11,270 --> 01:05:09,760
fantastic