February 3, 2007: SETI Research - Seth Shostak

Art Bell welcomes Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, for a wide-ranging conversation about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and the scientific challenges of detecting alien civilizations. Shostak discusses the current state of SETI's efforts, including the optical search at Lick Observatory and the upcoming Allen Telescope Array set to begin scanning the center of the Milky Way in mid-2007.

The two spar over interstellar travel feasibility, with Art raising points from nuclear physicist Stanton Friedman about energy requirements and trip profiles. Shostak acknowledges that fewer than a thousand star systems have been carefully examined so far, a tiny fraction of the hundreds of billions in our galaxy. He describes SETI's new telescopes and methods while maintaining his skepticism about current visitation claims. Art challenges him with recent UFO sightings from O'Hare Airport and North London, where dozens of witnesses reported silent objects hovering in formation.

The first hour features open lines touching on the landmark UN climate change report, ExxonMobil's offer of $10,000 to scientists willing to critique its findings, the Bush administration's suppression of climate terminology, Edgar Cayce, and Art's visit to Bigelow Aerospace via helicopter.