How we'll find life on other planets
1,853,320 views |
Aomawa Shields |
TED2015
• March 2015
Astronomer Aomawa Shields searches for clues that life might exist elsewhere in the universe by examining the atmospheres of distant exoplanets. When she isn't exploring the heavens, the classically trained actor (and TED Fellow) looks for ways to engage young women in the sciences using theater, writing and visual art. "Maybe one day they'll join the ranks of astronomers who are full of contradictions," she says, "and use their backgrounds to discover, once and for all, that we are truly not alone in the universe."
Astronomer Aomawa Shields searches for clues that life might exist elsewhere in the universe by examining the atmospheres of distant exoplanets. When she isn't exploring the heavens, the classically trained actor (and TED Fellow) looks for ways to engage young women in the sciences using theater, writing and visual art. "Maybe one day they'll join the ranks of astronomers who are full of contradictions," she says, "and use their backgrounds to discover, once and for all, that we are truly not alone in the universe."
This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.
About the speaker
Aomawa Shields studies the climate and habitability of planets outside of the Solar System.
James Kasting | Princeton University Press, 2012 | Book
Written for a general audience, this book explores what makes a planet habitable, including the evolution of our planet and the history and fate of other planets in the Solar System, such as Venus and Mars. Finally, prospects for life on worlds outside of the Solar System are explored, in a very accessible way for the reader.
F. W. Taylor | Oxford University Press, 2005 | Book
Nice, introductory approach to what governs planetary climate — the incoming energy from the host star and the outgoing radiation from the planet in response to that incoming energy. Any imbalance due to the planets response results in a change in temperature. But how does that happen? Read this book to find out.
Raymond T. Pierrehumbert | Cambridge University Press, 2011 | Book
The "Bible" of exoplanet climatology. Written by one of my mentors and a pioneer in the field of using climate models and the principles of Earth's climate to explore how planets orbiting stars achieve global energy balance, this book is upper-level to be sure. If you want to go MUCH more in depth on the subject of how we are trying to figure out what the climates of exoplanets might be like, this book is for you.
David Stevenson | Springer, 2013 | Book
A book that's very close to my scientific heart, focusing in on the habitability of planets orbiting a very specific class of stars — red dwarf stars. These stars are the most numerous stars in the galaxy (70 percent of all stars are red, or "M-dwarf" stars,) so they offer us the best chances of finding life through sheer numbers alone. But when it comes to whether life might actually be able to survive on a planet orbiting a red dwarf star, it's a bit more complicated. This book is the only book I know of that deals with this question exclusively. Be aware, though, that the book is a bit out of date now. There has been a lot of research done (including by yours truly) to shed new light on the prospects for life on planets orbiting these cool, dark stars.
Natalie Goldberg | Shambhala, 2016 | Book
I'm a writer, and I meditate. Natalie Goldberg taught me how to do both. This is her first book, and this year marks the 30th anniversary of its publication. Her teaching has informed me as a writer of both creative non-fiction, poetry, and indeed, academic writing as well.
Natalie Goldberg | Atria Books, 2014 | Book
And this is how Natalie organizes the workshops she taught in Taos, NM for decades. I attended many of these workshops, and I still go when I can.
Marcus Woo | WIRED, January 16, 2015 | Article
Kavli Frontiers of Sciences | Watch
Here's a talk that I recently gave on as part of a session entitled "The Climate of Short-Period Planets" at the Kavli Frontiers of Sciences Symposium in November, 2015. If you want to go more in-depth than my TED Talk went, listen to this 20-min talk.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory | Explore
Visit this great place to go to learn more about exoplanets — the latest discoveries, missions, and results.
NASA Ames Research Center | Explore
This website is devoted to NASA's Kepler Mission and the planets it has found. The press releases here are great for short, quick info on what's been discovered, and what it means for the field.
TED | Watch
This is my favorite TED talk of all time. Power poses are part of my preparation process before any talk I give (including my TED talk!).
This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.