N~1: Alone in the Milky Way
How many civilizations capable of interstellar communication exist in our Milky Way galaxy? We know of just one, of course, namely us (barely!). The Drake Equation famously "quantifies our ignorance" regarding the number, N, of such advanced civilizations in the Galaxy. The task of estimating N, via the Drake Equation, is an honored exercise for scientists who conduct the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
Planetary scientist Pascal Lee, of the SETI Institute and the Mars Institute, argues that advanced civilizations may well be extremely rare. In fact, Dr. Lee estimates that N~1. Even though planets are plentiful in the Milky Way, and even though life as a natural product of chemical and biological evolution is likely common, the number of advanced civilizations in the Galaxy might be of order 1. Says Dr. Lee: "We might be it in the vastness of our galaxy, or there might be just one other..."
Dr. Pascal Lee
WHAT: N~1: Alone in the Milky Way
WHO: Dr. Pascal Lee, Planetary Scientist, Mars Institute and SETI Institute [http://www.pascallee.net]
WHERE: Aduro Biotech (Franklin Room), 740 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley [http://www.aduro.com]
Map: [https://goo.gl/maps/Cz13DcfRXUn]
Map: [https://goo.gl/maps/Cz13DcfRXUn]
WHEN: 2017-09-14 — 7:30pm, Thursday, September 14, 2017
HOW:
This FREE event is co-presented by Wonderfest and the Bay Area Skeptics (BAS). Given venue limitations, please register with Eventbrite, below. All contributions (thank you!) will be shared equally between Wonderfest and BAS.