Ideas worth spreading

The fingerprints of life beyond Earth

1,946,629 views |

Clara Sousa-Silva |

TEDMonterey

• July 2021

Is there life on Venus? Quantum astrochemist Clara Sousa-Silva makes the case for a new way to seek and possibly discover habitable planets -- and shares her research into a poisonous, smelly molecule that might signal life beyond Earth.

Is there life on Venus? Quantum astrochemist Clara Sousa-Silva makes the case for a new way to seek and possibly discover habitable planets -- and shares her research into a poisonous, smelly molecule that might signal life beyond Earth.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Clara Sousa-Silva

Clara Sousa-Silva

Quantum astrochemist, astrobiologist

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Clara Sousa-Silva is a quantum astrochemist at the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard and the Smithsonian, where she investigates how molecules interact with light so that they can be detected on faraway worlds.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.