SETI Live

How do you study volcanoes on a planet more than 200 light-years away?
Join us for SETI Live as host Moiya McTier talks with planetary scientist Claire Marie Guimond about the extreme lava world K2-141 b—a rocky exoplanet so hot that parts of its surface may be covered in oceans of molten rock.
Using advanced mantle convection models, Claire and her collaborators investigated how heat moves through the planet's interior and where volcanic hotspots may form—including on the planet's permanent nightside. Together, we'll explore what these models reveal about alien geology, how lava worlds compare to Earth, and what volcanism might mean for a planet's long-term evolution.
We'll also dive into how scientists can study volcanic activity on distant worlds, what makes lava planets important to planetary science, and what questions remain about one of the galaxy's most extreme exoplanets.
Paper: https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/547/3/stag390/8501203
(Recorded live 7 May 2026.)

A newly identified class of distant galaxies—nicknamed "little red dots"—may be doing something extraordinary: quietly creating the raw ingredients for life.
Join host Dr. Simon Steel as we explore groundbreaking new research from Dr. Remo Ruffini and Dr. Yu Wang from the International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics Network (ICRANet), suggesting that these compact, enigmatic galaxies could act as "molecular islands," forming complex organic molecules in environments surprisingly calm compared to the chaotic early universe.
- What makes these galaxies so special?
- How can such small, distant objects produce life's building blocks?
- And what does this mean for the possibility that life's chemistry is widespread across the cosmos?
We'll break down the science behind these "galactic oases," how they were discovered, and why they may reshape how we think about the origins of life in the universe.
Press release (pdf): https://www.icranet.org/LRDs-Molecular-Islands-Press-Release.pdf 
Paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ae3a76 
(Recorded live 30 April 2026.)

Where should we actually be looking for life beyond Earth?
Astronomers have identified 45 Earth-like worlds that could be among the most promising places to search for biosignatures—chemical signs of life in distant atmospheres. Inspired by the idea of a real-life "Project Hail Mary," this research helps narrow the search for habitable planets and guides future telescopes toward the most compelling targets.
Join SETI Institute planetary astronomer Dr. Franck Marchis and guests Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger and Abigail Bohl from Cornell University as they explore:
- How scientists define an "Earth-like" world 
- What makes a planet a strong candidate for life
- How these 45 planets were selected
- What telescopes, like the James Webb Space Telescope, can (and can't) detect
- What this means for the future of SETI and exoplanet exploration
Are we closer than ever to finding life—or just getting better at knowing where to look?
Press release: https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/research-highlights/best-places-look-alien-life-scientists-identify-45-earth-worlds
Paper: https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/547/3/stag028/8526432
(Recorded live 17 April 2026.)

Join us for a special episode of SETI Live as host Lauren Sgro sits down with astronomer and entrepreneur Franck Marchis to explore the newly launched SkyMapper platform—now open to the public.
SkyMapper is a global, decentralized network of telescopes and all-sky sensors that connects professional observatories, citizen scientists, and classrooms around the world. In this live, interactive session, Lauren and Franck will go beyond the basics and show how SkyMapper works in real time—from navigating the interface and accessing live sky data to triggering observations and joining active discoveries.
We'll talk about what this launch means for the future of astronomy, how people are already using the platform, and why a continuously connected view of the sky could transform research, education, and public participation in science. We'll also highlight the SETI Institute's role in building this new global observing network.
✨ Ready to explore the universe yourself? This is your chance to see SkyMapper in action—and learn how to get involved.
📚 Learn more: www.skymapper.io
👋 Join the community: https://t.me/skymapper_community
(Recorded live 13 April 2026.)

Astronomers may have just witnessed the aftermath of a massive planetary collision in another star system—offering a rare glimpse into how worlds are destroyed… and possibly reborn.
Join host Dr. Moiya McTier and guest Anastasios Tzanidakis (University of Washington) as they break down new evidence suggesting that two large planetary bodies recently crashed into each other. What does this tell us about how planets form and evolve? How common are these catastrophic events? And could collisions like this help explain the chaotic early history of our own solar system?
From cosmic debris clouds to planetary recycling, we'll explore one of the most dramatic processes shaping worlds across the galaxy.
Press release: https://www.washington.edu/news/2026/03/11/uw-astronomers-spot-planet-collision-evidence/
Paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ae3ddc 
(Recorded live 2 April 2026.)