Into The Impossible

   Books mentioned in this episode: The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence by Paul Davies The Demon in the Machine: How Hidden Webs of Information Are Solving the Mystery of Life by Paul Davies Starship Century, Edited by Greggory & James Benford A technologically advanced extraterrestrial civilization could likely detect life on Earth, if such beings exist. Life on Earth could be detectable in our planet’s atmospheric spectral lines for over a billion years. Most of our atmospheric oxygen is due to life, and can be observed over interstellar distances — across thousands of light-years. Over this long time, many stars have swept near our solar system and Earth. If extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) on such “nearby” planets did send probes to remotely observe our planet, where in the Solar System should we look to find evidence of their past visitation? The Moon is the obvious, closest place. Another option would be a newly discovered class of co-orbital objects, an equally logical plac