Physics is full of captivating stories, from ongoing endeavours to explain the cosmos to ingenious innovations that shape the world around us. In the Physics World Stories podcast, Andrew Glester talks to the people behind some of the most intriguing and inspiring scientific stories. Listen to the podcast to hear from a diverse mix of scientists, engineers, artists and other commentators. Find out more about the stories in this podcast by visiting the Physics World website. If you enjoy what you hear, then also check out the Physics World Weekly podcast, a science-news podcast presented by our award-winning science journalists.
https://physicsworld.com/a/3-body-problem-a-deep-dive-into-the-netflix-show/
Searching for life on other planets
The search for signs of extraterrestrial life looks set to be one of the most exciting scientific endeavours of the 21st century and scientists have no shortage of places to look. Astronomers have already discovered nearly 2000 exoplanets and they look set to find many more. While most of these known exoplanets are gas giants that appear to be inhospitable to life, the discovery of Earth-like rocky exoplanets could come courtesy of the next generation of telescopes.
In this podcast recorded at the Canadian Association of Physicists Congress in Edmonton, Sara Seager tells physicsworld.com editor Hamish Johnston how astronomers are gearing up to use the James Webb Space Telescope – due to launch in 2018 – and other ground- and space-based facilities to look for water vapour, oxygen and other gases in the atmospheres of rocky exoplanets. These and other gases such as methane could indicate the presence of life on these distant worlds, but Seager points out that many measurements on many different exoplanets will be needed before we can say with reasonable certainty that life exists.