Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the JewsTomorrow, I am scheduled for a public interview with the distinguished science journalist, Joshua Foer, on the topic: “Extraterrestrial…2d ago112d ago11
Ignoring Reality is a Bad IdeaA recent paper studied the flux of interstellar objects entering the Solar system from the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, located…3d ago63d ago6
First Life in the CosmosWhen did the first forms of life form in the cosmos? The latest observations by the Webb telescope reveal that the first generation of…5d ago95d ago9
Traveling Through Earth, the Sun or the UniverseLast month, a new Nature paper reported data indicating that the Earth’s inner core is less solid than previously thought. This could have…6d ago76d ago7
For Now, Humans Remain at the Top of the Food Chain on EarthIn an hour-long interview with the brilliant NewsNation reporter, Natasha Zouves, I expressed concern a few days ago that the city killer…Feb 241Feb 241
Watercolor Reflections of the CosmosThe remarkable watercolor artist, Greg Wyatt, handed me a spiral notebook with a collection of images of his latest watercolor drawings…Feb 221Feb 221
Why Did Galileo Need a Telescope to Discover the Moons of Jupiter?Creations of art and science are acts of generosity. They did not have to exist. Just like the Universe as a whole. Once we witness their…Feb 212Feb 212
Are Astronomers About to Gain the Highest Status in Society?NASA has just increased the likelihood that the asteroid 2024 YR4 will hit the Earth on December 22, 2032 to 3.1%!Feb 1914Feb 1914
Will Future Einsteins be AI Agents?One way to think about physics is as the pursuit of an all-encompassing model that forecasts the phenomena of physical reality based on the…Feb 182Feb 182
Intergalactic Objects in the Solar SystemOver the past decade, astronomers discovered the first interstellar objects in the form of `Oumuamua, Borisov and IM1. Their origin from…Feb 173Feb 173
Did the Solar System Pass Through a Giant Molecular Cloud Ten Million Years Ago?In June 2024, I co-authored a Nature Astronomy paper with the brilliant Merav Opher and Josh Peek. The paper suggested that Earth might…Feb 1611Feb 1611
Lessons Learned from the DinosaursRestaurant menus include animals that we eat without inhibition because we regard ourselves at the top of the food chain on Earth right…Feb 1513Feb 1513
Sharing My Office with GalileoFor the first time in 32 years since my arrival at Harvard, I am sharing my office with a companion. My office mate is a bronze sculpture…Feb 133Feb 133
Harvesting Numerous Interstellar Objects with a Dedicated Space TelescopeIt is easiest to search for missing keys under the lamppost. Our nearest lamppost is the Sun. Our biggest scientific question is “Are we…Feb 114Feb 114
The Oldest Relics Must be Younger than the UniverseThe lowest mass stars have 8% of the mass of the Sun and can live for up to 12 trillion years. This lifespan is 870 times longer than the…Feb 85Feb 85
The Existential Risk from Polyamory of Artificial General IntelligenceNot all intelligences are created equal. Human intelligence is fundamentally different from artificial intelligence (AI). The former relies…Feb 612Feb 612
Cosmic Birth of Supermassive TwinsTwin stars are often born in the delivery room of giant molecular clouds. A common mechanism to create a pair of stars involves the…Feb 52Feb 52
Physics is Our Scholar’s LionFollowing a lecture on the search for extraterrestrial life, hosted by Sir Richard Branson at Necker Island, I was asked by many attendees…Feb 23Feb 23
A New Message from the Asteroid BennuJust as with Large Language Models, the quality of our thoughts is dictated by our training dataset. Babies receive most of their training…Jan 3112Jan 3112
