Alien Crash Site
A new InterPlanetary interview series from the Santa Fe Institute takes a page from the Strugatsky brothers' classic Soviet sci-fi novel, Roadside Picnic, to discuss a variety of transformative alien artifacts. Thirteen years ago, an alien civilization visited our planet, and left behind myriad, mysterious materials in their crash sites. These areas, Zones, behave very strangely, but the interplanetary items they contain could change the trajectory of our technological advancement. What appears as a hoop might actually be a perpetual-motion machine. What appears as a slime might alter space-time. Spend too much time in the Zone and your genes might mutate, your bones might dissolve, your body might be ground into meat. If you’re lucky enough to make it out alive, you’ll likely be imprisoned. But a successful trip in and out of the Zone could alter human history. Do you dare? And for what? Hosted by Caitlin McShea.
Episodes
Learn more about what was discussed in this Alien Crash Site episode by clicking through the links below:
- Lindy’s homepage
- Psyche Mission
- ASU's InterPlanetary Initiative
- Vesta
- Kleopatra
- Maxar
- Henry Stone at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Voyager Mission - Gravity Assist
- Lucy Mission
- DART Mission
- Psyche Inspired
Learn more about what was discussed in this episode by clicking on the links below:
- Gary’s homepage.
- Unfettered journey
- Dan Dennett
- Eugene Wigner
- Michael's Complexity Podcast interview with David Kinney
- 2019 IPFest World Building panel discussion
- Geoffrey West’s Scale
- Hanson's Age of Em
- SFI Symposium AI and the Barrier of Meaning
- ACtioN Climate Change seminar - Complexity of Sustainability
- Peter Turchin
- Bob May's 1972 paper: "Will a Large ...
Learn more about everything referenced in this episode by clicking the links below:
New School Policy and Design for Outer Space
SFI’s InterPlanetary Project
Aging, Adaptation, and the Arrow of Time - A James S. McDonnell Foundation funded research track on Complex Time
Complex Time video playlist
InterPlanetary 2019 panel on Complex Time, featuring Sean Carroll
To learn more about items mentioned in this podcast:
- Natalie's homepage
- Co-Ordination: On Time Between Worlds - An InterPlanetary Panel discussion on Complex Time
- Chris Kempes's Alien Crash Site Interview on life detection
- "Towards a more universal life detection strategy" as submitted to the Planetary and Astrobiology Decadal Survey
- Arrival
- Ted Chiang's "The Story of Your Life"
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
For more information, visit this link and register FOR FREE.
Alien Crash Site returns after that with an interview with SFI Post-Doc Natalie Grefenstette.
Learn more about everything referenced in this episode by clicking the links below:
- Identifying Molecules as Biosignatures with Assembly Theory and Mass Spectrometry.
- Generalized Stoichiometry and Biogeochemistry for Astrobiological Applications.
- Time Team
- Elemental Cycles
- DNA has Four Bases. Some Viruses Swap in a Fifth
- Bennu
- Hayabusa Mission
- Alien Crash Site Episode 015, with Cole Mathis on Assembly Theory.
- Determination of Azimuth
- Atl...
Learn more about things discussed in this episode, by clicking on the links below:
- Timiebi Aganaba's home page
- Global Space Treaty
- Artemis Accords
- Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
- Lindy Elkins-Tanton of Arizona State University's InterPlanetary Project
- And the Psyche Mission
- The Court Case: Viasat, Inc (Appellant) Vs. Federal Communications Commission (Appellee) re: Space Exploration Holdings, LLC ...
To learn more about the items discussed in this interview, click through the links below.
- Ryan’s website
- Ryan on Twitter
- The Carrington Event
- Parker Solar Probe
- Mars MAVEN
- Ushering in a New Frontier in Geospace through Data Science
- Dictionary of Obscure sorrows
- What is an Individual?
- Jorge Luis Borges
- “Talk on Indolence” by the Avett Brothers
- "Machine Gun" by Jimi Hendrix
For more information on items mentioned in this interview, click through the links below.
- Vanessa’s Website
- InterPlanetary 2018 Festival panel "Intelligent Systems and Cognitive Assistance" featuring Vanessa, David Krakauer, Jonah Nolan, Graham Spencer & Kurt Squire.
- Dan Sperber
- Norman Rockwell's painting "The Gossips"
- Giant dragonfly - Meganeura
- Alien Crash Site interview with Tamara van der Does
- Dune witches
- Buena Vista Social Club...
Learn more about the items discussed in this conversation by clicking on the links below.
The paper discussed: "Identifying molecules as biosignatures with assembly theory and mass spectrometry"
- "Scientists develop new molecular tool to detect alien life" - news article
- "Chemists design alien life detector" - news article
The essay discussed: ($$ paywall) "Art as a Product of Nature, as a work of Art" by Paul K. Feyerabend
Learn more about everything referenced in this episode by clicking the links below:Herschel Moon History
- Natalie Elliot’s Homepage
- Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of Lock”
- Shakespeare’s
- Claudius Ptolemy
- Nicolaus Copernicus
- Tycho Brahe
- Aristophanes’s
- Fermilab Bison
- Antikythera Mechanism
- “Origin Story” for Aeon
- And two recently published papers on universal life detection that we ar...
Learn more about everything referenced in this episode by clicking the links below:
InterPlanetary 2018 - Planetary Policy, Law & Regulation Panel
Ecuador’s recognition of Pachamama
Santa Monica’s sustainability ordinance, protecting the aquifers
US Space Act (1958)
Outer Space Treaty (1966)
Moon Agreement (1979)
Learn more about the things we discuss in this episode by clicking through the links below:
Ever-Widening Circles, by Rilke
Tom Seeley's work on honeybees
Suzanne Simard's work about tree communication networks
Geoffrey West's lecture on Scaling
I Dream a Highway - Gillian Welch
Ode to Joy - Beethoven
Final scene of Stalker
Learn more about everything referenced in this episode by clicking the links below:
Van’s homepage
UCLA-led team of scientists discovers why we need sleep
Watch Van on the “Time Design” Panel from #IPFest2018
Ted Chiang’s Seventy-Two Letters
Liu Cixin’s Three Body Problem
“You’re So Cool” by Hans Zimmer
“Don’t Look Back in Anger” by Oasis
Learn more about everything referenced in this episode by clicking the links below:
Michael’s webpage
Carl Bergstrom’s Calling Bullshit
Michael’s work on the Neandertal genome
Information’s impact on fitness
Michael, Sara Walker, Chris Kempes and Lee Cronin, herein the #OriginsOfLifeLeague
Learn more about everything referenced in this episode by clicking the links below:
Diego Velázquéz’s Las Meninas
Rothko’s Tate Collection
Tamara’s Website, Google Scholar Page & Twitter
• InterPlanetary Festival Website
• Alien Crash Site Podcast
• In 72 hours of sci-fi, postdocs transmit parental model of alien civilization [video]
• Greetings from a Triparental Planet 72 Hours of Science Pre-Printby Gizem Bacaksizlar, Stefani Crabtree, Joshua Garland, Natalie Grefenstette, Albert Kao, David Kinney, Artemy Kolchinsky, Tyler Marghetis, Michael Price, Maria Riolo, Hajime...
Learn more about everything referenced in this episode by clicking the links below:
Theme song, "Stalker" by Tortilla
The “Living in Space” InterPlanetary Panel from IP Fest 2018
Recap of Nina’s time in Antartica
Bradbury Museum panel of LANL scientists discussing Today’s Perseverance landing
Joerael Numina’s art (The image of the Curiosity Rover behind me is one example of his work)
Learn more about everything referenced in this episode by clicking the links below:
Sasha’s website and work
Sasha on “Visualization and Designing the Impossible” IPFest 2018 Panel
Sasha at IPFest, on open-source space data
Jet Propulsion Lab’s page of downloadable 360 and VR/AR videos
Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History
Virtual tour of the Jet Propulsion Lab
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