News Media

are the best targets in the search for primitive life. [NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL-Caltech]

Where Should We Look for Life?

April 25, 2018

"The first challenge in the hunt for life elsewhere in our universe is to decide where to look. In a new study, two scientists examine whether Sun-like stars or low-mass M dwarfs are the best bet for hosting exoplanets with detectable life."

AAS Nova: http://aasnova.org/2018/04/25/where-should-we-look-for-life/
Centauri Dreams: Paul Glister: Exoplanets: Optimizing the...

Artist's impression of the exoplanet Proxima Centauri b. Credit: ESO

Escape from Proxima b

April 18, 2018

Avi Loeb's lated Scientific American blog post explores the idea that, "A civilization in the habitable zone of a dwarf star like Proxima Centauri might find it hard to get into interstellar space with conventional rockets."

Read More: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/escape-from-proxima-b/

Weekend Special: "Are We Alone in the Universe?"

January 2, 2018

"Are we alone? This is surely a question each and every one of us has asked, at some point in our lives. And while most of us go no further than simply putting this question out there, there are people who feel compelled to devote time and effort in a bid to find the answer. Today our guest on Sputnik's Weekend Special is just such a man - Abraham Loeb, Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University and an adviser to the Breakthrough Listen project."

Listen to Radio Interview: ... Read more about Weekend Special: "Are We Alone in the Universe?"

This artist's concept depicts the interstellar visitor known as 'Oumuamua as a battered metallic space rock. Some astronomers, however, speculate that 'Oumuamua may be something far stranger. Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

Alien Probe or Galactic Driftwood? SETI Tunes In to 'Oumuamua

December 13, 2017

"It’s a long shot, but scientists are about to listen very closely for radio signals from our solar system’s first known interstellar visitor."
"Ever since its discovery in mid-October as it passed by Earth already outbound from our solar system, the mysterious object dubbed ‘Oumuamua (Hawaiian for “first messenger”) has left scientists utterly perplexed."

Press Coverage:

Scientific American: ...

Eden H. Girma in room with a sign that says Den of Iniquity

Crimson profiles Astronomy undergraduate student Eden Girma

December 4, 2017

The Harvard Crimson recently profiled one of the Astronomy Department's undergraduates, Eden Girma. Eden is pursuing a joint concentration in Mathematics and Astrophysics and is currently working on her Senior Thesis with Department Chair Avi Loeb.

Crimson: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/11/30/fifteen-most-interesting-eden-girma/

Putnam Avenue Upper School eighth-graders Liam Mahari (left) and Viviany Barbosa Brito work with project director Patricia Udomprasert during a hands-on lab.

Harvard’s ThinkSpace brings hard science to Cambridge grade schools

November 15, 2017

"It’s impossible to miss when the seasons change. But do most people understand the science behind those changes? According to decades-old research by astronomers and educators at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), probably not."

RUIYI LI Professor Avi Loeb, chair of the Astronomy Department at Harvard, founded the Black Hole Initiative.

Breakthrough Star Shot

November 6, 2017

"Somewhere in the neighborhood of the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri—4.25 light years from Cambridge—a small, hyper-reflective spacecraft will home in on an unfamiliar planet." Full article in the Harvard Crimson

Cosmic alchemy: Colliding neutron stars show us how the universe creates gold

October 24, 2017

For thousands of years, humans have searched for a way to turn matter into gold. Ancient alchemists considered this precious metal to be the highest form of matter. As human knowledge advanced, the mystical aspects of alchemy gave way to the sciences we know today. And yet, with all our advances in science and technology, the origin story of gold remained unknown. Until now.

Read Full Article: The Conversation, by Duncan Brown, Syracuse University and Edo Berger, Harvard University