The next generation of space telescopes will directly image exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) and possibly detect biosignatures of alien life on these planets. This involves looking at the spectrum of light emitted by a planet and detecting characteristic lines which indicate the presence of oxygen, methane and other compounds produced by living organisms. Currently, we can only detect planets indirectly by observing the tiny dip in light output of a star as a planet passes in front of it. Another method is to detect the wobble in a star's position as a planet orbits around it. In this Science Friday podcast, Dr. Adam Frank, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester joins hosts Ira Flatow and Kathleen Davis to talk about the evidence for life elsewhere in the universe.
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