Host Dave Schlom is joined by special co-host Bill Diamond, President and CEO of the SETI Institute, for an in-depth look at the state of the famous Drake Equation.
It was written by radio astronomer Frank Drake in 1961 as a way to organize the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).
Dave and Bill start off with the history of the equation and its seven terms, which, when multiplied together, equal N, the number of communicating civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy. While many of the terms are still speculative, some have been much better defined in recent years by astronomers.
Bill and Dave are joined by SETI Institute astronomers and research scientists Uma Gorti, Doug Caldwell, and Nathalie Cabrol as they break down the first terms in the equation, including the rate of star formation in the galaxy, the fraction of stars with planets, the fraction of those planets suitable for life and those on which life as actually arisen.
It's a fascinating journey through space, time, and the mystery of the question: are we alone in the Universe?
