Evolver social movement & the Hive to Thrive speaker series hosted Harvard University director of astronomy Avi Loeb for a wide ranging discussion. From the nature of scientific discovery to possible origins of FRBs (Fast Radio Bursts) emanating from the cosmic background radio noise. 
Produced by Sam Tabar

Read more about The Case for Cosmic Modesty

"The world's most indestructible species, the tardigrade, an eight-legged micro-animal, also known as the water bear, will survive until the Sun dies, according to a new Oxford University collaboration."

"The new study published in Scientific Reports, has shown that the tiny creatures, will survive the risk of extinction from all astrophysical catastrophes, and be around for at least 10 billion years – far longer than the human race."

CFA Press Release:

Read more about The Last Survivors on Earth

"Cambridge, MA - Two separate teams of scientists have identified major challenges for the development of life in what has recently become one of the most famous exoplanet systems, TRAPPIST-1. "

"The teams, both led by researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in Cambridge, Mass., say the behavior of the star in the TRAPPIST-1 system makes it much less likely than generally thought, that planets there could support life."

Press Release: 

Read more about More to Life Than the Habitable Zone

"An Earth-sized planet next door: that was the startling announcement last August. Astronomers had found an exoplanet orbiting the sun’s closest stellar neigh- bor, a cool red dwarf star called Proxima Centauri (1). Even better, the nearby world orbited within its parent star’s habitable zone, meaning liquid water could exist on the planet’s surface, which raised the prospects for its harboring life."

Read More:

• All eyes on Proxima Centauri b: http://www.pnas.org/content/114/26/6646.full.pdf
• Is there life around the nearest

Read more about PNAS article on Proxima Centauri b

Hannah Jang-Condell, our alum who received her Ph.D. in 2004, has been given tenure at the University of Wyoming.  She is an Associate Professor in their Physics and Astronomy Department. She studies planet formation theory, protoplanetary disk models, extrasolar planets, computational astrophysics, astrobiology.  Congratulations, Hannah!

Read more about Hannah Jang-Condell (Astronomy PhD '04) granted tenure at the University of Wyoming

Press coverage of a new paper in Scientific American: A new study sheds light on how damaging black holes can be to the habitability of planets throughout the Milky Way and the universe.

Link: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ravenous-supermassive-black-holes-may-sterilize-nearby-planets/

Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2017/05/30/blown-away-by-black-holes-losing-planetary-atmospheres-to-quasar-radiation/

Image: This artist’s conception of a distant quasar shows how luminous they can be—

Read more about Ravenous Supermassive Black Holes May Sterilize Nearby Planets

Sarah Wellons, Andrew Vanderburg, Yuan-Sen Ting, Josh Suresh, Sukrit Ranjan, Philip Mocz, Meredith MacGregor, Kirit Karkare, Dawn Graninger (not shown Laura Schaefer)

Read more about Congratulations Astronomy 2017 PhDs

In case you haven't already heard the news about Ryan Hickox - a former Harvard grad student - now tenured professor at Dartmouth!  Ryan also is one of the first "house professors" in the house system that Dartmouth is expanding:  

Read more about Congratulations to Professor Ryan Hickox