Since the beginning of human history, we’ve looked up at the stars and wondered: Are we alone?

No other generation has been able to find an answer, but David Charbonneau, an astronomer at Harvard University and a recipient of an honorary degree from the University of Chicago this year, thinks we may be the first.

Charbonneau, an astronomer at Harvard University and a recipient of an honorary degree from the University of Chicago this year, has made it his life’s goal to search the stars for habitable planets and alien life.

“And we might find out that we’re totally alone,” he says. “We really could be it as far as we can measure. Or it may turn out that we live in the Star Trek universe and essentially every star has a bunch of planets with life on them.”

On this podcast episode, he tells his fascinating story about the history of exoplanetary research, his journey as a planet hunter, and the stunning discoveries he’s made along the way:

Here is a transcript of the episode.

Source: University of Chicago

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