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Meet The ‘Planet Hunter’ Searching For Alien Life, with Jacob Bean
Episode 168

Meet The ‘Planet Hunter’ Searching For Alien Life, with Jacob Bean

The search for life beyond Earth is no longer science fiction—it takes a lot of data, powerful telescopes and a bit of cosmic detective work. And at the center of this search is University of Chicago astrophysicist Jacob Bean. Bean was part of the team that made history by detecting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a distant planet using the James Webb Space Telescope—a major step forward in our ability to study exoplanets. Bean uses cutting-edge tools and discoveries that are reshaping how we think about planet habitability, biosignatures and our place in the universe. From potentially habitable exoplanets like K2-18b to false hopes like Gliese 486b, Bean shares why the atmospheres of these faraway worlds might hold the key to one of humanity’s oldest questions: Are we alone in the universe?

Big Brains

May 15, 202534m 33s

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Show Notes

The search for life beyond Earth is no longer science fiction—it takes a lot of data, powerful telescopes and a bit of cosmic detective work. And at the center of this search is University of Chicago astrophysicist Jacob Bean. Bean was part of the team that made history by detecting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a distant planet using the James Webb Space Telescope—a major step forward in our ability to study exoplanets.

Bean uses cutting-edge tools and discoveries that are reshaping how we think about planet habitability, biosignatures and our place in the universe. From potentially habitable exoplanets like K2-18b to false hopes like Gliese 486b, Bean shares why the atmospheres of these faraway worlds might hold the key to one of humanity’s oldest questions: Are we alone in the universe?


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Topics

telescopes and technologysearch for life beyond earthspace telescopesjwst discoveriesare we alone in the universe?astronomy researchscience storytellingthe planet hunterjames webb space telescopespace explorationcosmic mysteriesplanetary scienceuchicago astrophysicsuniversity of chicago podcast networkbig brains podcastuniversity of chicago researchextrasolar planetsalien lifebreakthrough scienceastrobiologyscientific method in actionexoplanetslife on other planetsplanetary atmospheresscientific discoveryhabitable planetsjacob beancarl sagan pale blue dotcurious mindsspace nerds unite