Episode 176: Second Genesis, with Jay Melosh

The Star Spot

Feature Guest: Jay Melosh

If we should find creatures crawling around Titan or swimming under the ice sheets of Europa or Enceladus, they will almost certainly turn out to be the result of a second genesis, those creatures truly alien in the most profound sense. That startling conclusion follows from a series of groundbreaking simulation that found it exceedingly unlikely that life can be successfully transferred between the worlds of our solar system. To unpack the significance of this conclusion, today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by geophysicist Jay Melosh, who caused an uproar when he presented his findings at a recent meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

Current in Space

Tony does triple duty. He opens with his own 2019 retrospective, featuring a review of some of the impressive achievements made in space science, and to expect more of the same in 2020. Then he and Joseph excite with possible exploration methods for two ocean worlds in the outer Solar System. And for those of you who missed the spectacular "ring of fire" solar eclipse in the eastern hemisphere, Tony and Anshool have you covered, with a review of places impacted, and a preview of similar events in the near future.

About Our Guest

Jay Melosh is University Distinguished Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Science at Purdue University. He is the recipient of the Leon Blitzer Teaching Award, the Hess Medal of the American Geophysical Union, and the Humboldt Prize Fellowship, among many other honours.