>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY, HERE HERE WITH THE AUTHOR OF
"WELCOME TO THE UNIVERSE IN 3D," NEIL deGRASSE TYSON.
THE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY WANTED TO SEND A MESSAGE OUT TO
THE UNIVERSE TO TELL EXTRA TERRESTRIALS WHERE WE ARE AND A
MAP OF OUR GENOME.
ARE YOU IN FAVOR OF THIS?
>> IN THE OLD DAYS I WOULD HAVE BEEN, BUT I THOUGHT ABOUT THAT,
AND YOU WOULDN'T GIVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO A STRANGER IN THE
STREET WHO IS YOUR OWN SPECIES.
AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO GIVE THE RETURN ADDRESS TO EARTH FOR
ALIENS.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A GOOD IDEA.
I'M JUST -- >> Stephen: IS IT POSSIBLE FOR
US TO HIDE, THOUGH?
>> OH, YEAH.
SO THAT SHIP HAS SAILED, BECAUSE EVER SINCE THE BEGINNING OF
TELEVISION, TELEVISION WAVES GO TO YOUR TV WITH-- REMEMBER THE
RABBIT EARS-- BUT THEY ALSO WENT OUT INTO SPACE.
SO THERE IS A RADIO BUBBLE EXPANDING AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT
THAT CONTAINS OUR ENTIRE CULTURE EMBEDDED IN WHAT TV SHOWS PEOPLE
WATCHED FOR THE PAST 50 YEARS.
>> Stephen: SO THE ALIENS ARE GOING TO THINK WE HAVE TALKING
HORSES.
( LAUGHTER )
MY MOTHER THE CAR.
>> YES, YES, YES.
ALL OF THAT, THEY WILL DECODE WHO AND WHAT WE ARE.
>> Stephen: WOW.
>> THROUGH THOSE SIGNALS.
>> Stephen: BUT THEY'LL THINK WE HAVE LASERS AND PROTON
TORPEDOES, TOO, SO THEY MIGHT LEAVE US ALONE.
>> I'M PRETTY SURE BASED ON THE REST OF THE DATA THEY WILL
CONCLUDE THERE IS NO SIGN OF INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH.
( APPLAUSE )
WAY-- HOW BIG WOULD THAT BUBBLE BE?
>> ABOUT 80 LIGHT YEARS, GOING AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT.
>> Stephen: 160 THEN, RIGHT?
>> THAT'S THE DIAMETER, CORRECT.
>> Stephen: SURE, SURE.
>> THAT'S ALREADY WASHED OR EXOPLANETS WE KNOW EXIST IN THAT
BUBBLE.
>> Stephen: I HEARD RECENTLY, PROX NACENTURI, HAS A PLANET
AROUND IT-- IT'S A RED DWARF?
MY APOLOGIES.
A RED DWARF, AND IT HAS PLANETS TARND THAT MIGHT BE IN THE
GOLDILOCKS ZONE.
THERE MIGHT BE LIQUID WATER POSSIBLE THERE.
>> IN OUR SEARCH FOR EXOPLANET, WHICH IS RISING THROUGH 5,000--
BY THE WAY, ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE BORN SINCE 1995.
QUICKLY RAISE YOUR HAND.
OKAY, GOOD.
SO I NOW KNIGHT YOU ALL GENERATION EXOPLANET.
BECAUSE THAT WAS THE YEAR THE FIRST EXOPLANET WAS DISCOVERED,
1995.
BEFORE THEN, WE KNEW OF NO PLANETS IN THE UNIVERSE OUTSIDE
OF OUR EIGHT.
>> Stephen: AND NOW THOUSANDS, RIGHT?
>> WE JUST PASSED 5,000 JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.
SO AMONG THOSE, SOME OF THEM HAVE MULTIPLE PLANET SYSTEMS.
AND WE HAVE MULTIPLE PLANETS, YOU CAN CHECK IS ONE OF THEM IN
THE GOLDILOCKS ZONE OR NOT?
IF YOU'RE THERE, YOU CAN SUSTAIN LIQUID WATER.
IF YOU CENTER A RANKING OF WHICH PLANETS YOU WANT TO CHECK FIRST
FOR LIFE, LIFE AS WE KNOW IT, THOSE YOU GO FIRST.
>> Stephen: YOU SAID WE SHOULD LEARN TO LOVE THE QUESTIONS
RATHER THAN FOCUS ON THE ANSWER.
WHAT QUESTION DO YOU PRESENTLY LOVE THE MOST?
>> I WONDER IF THE HUMAN INTELLECT IS SUFFICIENT TO
ANSWER THE QUESTIONS WE HAVE POSED, OR EVEN MORE SO, ARE WE
SMART ENOUGH TO EVEN KNOW WHAT NEXT QUESTIONS TO ASK?
I LOSE SLEEP ON THAT.
SO MY QUESTION IS THE QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER WE EVEN KNOW WHAT
QUESTION TO ASK.
AND-- AND-- AND THAT'S NOT SO WEIRD BECAUSE IMAGINE-- HAVE YOU
EVER HAD A CONVERSATION WITH A CHIMP?
IT'S GENERALLY, NO, YOU CAN'T.
YOU SAY, A SHIPMENT OF BANANAS ARE COMING IN AT FOUR:30
TOMORROW AFTERNOON.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT 4:30 IS.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT TOMORROW IS.
YOUR SIMPLEST SENTENCE GOES UNRECOGNIZED BY THEM.
WE HAVE 99% D.N.A. IN COMMON.
IMAGINE SOME OTHER SPECIES 1% BEYOND US THAT WE ARE BEYOND THE
CHIMP, WHAT WOULD WE LOOK LIKE TO THEM?
THEIR SIMPLEST SENTENCE WOULD TRANSCEND OUR CAPACITY TO
COMPREHEND.
I LOSE SLEEP OVER THAT.
AND IF THAT'S CASE, THERE'S STUFF IN THE UNIVERSE WE WILL
NEVER FIGURE OUT.
AND I WANT TO KNOW WHEN WE HIT THAT WALL, BECAUSE I'LL JUST GO
TO THE BAHAMAS, AND I'LL BE FINE.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
STICK AROUND, WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE NEIL deGRASSE
TYSON, EVERYBODY.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).