NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech

For thousands of years, people have wondered whether life exists anywhere other than on Earth. With recent discoveries of hundreds of potentially habitable planets orbiting stars other than the Sun, we are tantalizingly close to answering this question.

In this presentation, the Dunlap Institute’s Michael Reid will discuss the strategies used by astronomers to search for life elsewhere in the Universe and suggest some promising directions for this research. He will also discuss the fascinating problem of Fermi’s Paradox—the question of why, if there is intelligent life elsewhere in the Universe, we have not encountered it yet—and consider several possible resolutions.

For more Science & Technology talks presented by the Toronto Public Library.