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Book Review: Carlo Rovelli’s White Holes
This summer at Harvard Summer School, while taking A Short Tour of the Universe Guided by Einstein and Others with Prof. Dr. Arvind Borde, I decided to read Carlo Rovelli’s book White Holes. From the very first pages, I was… Continue reading
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Where is Everybody? The Drake Equation
The Drake Equation is a probabilistic formula developed by astronomer Frank Drake in 1961 to estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy. Rather than providing a definitive answer, the equation serves as a framework… Continue reading
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Book Review: Life in the Universe by Jeffrey Bennett, Seth Shostak, and Bruce Jakosky
Life in the Universe is an insightful and engaging textbook that explores astrobiology, planetary science, and the search for extraterrestrial life. Written by Jeffrey Bennett, Bruce Jakosky, and Seth Shostak, the book takes an interdisciplinary approach, integrating astronomy, biology, and… Continue reading
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K2-18b
Roughly 124 light-years away in the Leo constellation lies K2-18b, a distant world first identified in 2015 through data from NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope. This exoplanet orbits a cool red dwarf star, K2-18, within its habitable zone, where conditions might… Continue reading
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What Type of Life Could be on Exoplanets?
The discovery of exoplanets—planets orbiting stars beyond our solar system—has expanded our understanding of the potential diversity of life in the universe. While Earth-like conditions are often considered ideal for life, the vast array of exoplanetary environments suggests that life,… Continue reading
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Book Review: The Secret Life of the Universe by Nathalie A. Cabrol
In The Secret Life of the Universe, astrobiologist Nathalie A. Cabrol takes readers on an exciting journey to explore the possibility of life beyond Earth. She explains how life may have started here and what that tells us about where… Continue reading
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The Search for Exoplanet Biosignatures
Life tends to push chemical environments away from equilibrium. On Earth, the coexistence of oxygen and methane in the atmosphere is a sign of life. Detecting such imbalances elsewhere could indicate biological processes. Upcoming telescopes like the James Webb Space… Continue reading
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Book Review: Merlin’s Tour of the Universe by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Merlin’s Tour of the Universe is an engaging exploration of cosmic wonders, blending science, humor, and creativity. Through the fictional character Merlin, a wise visitor from the Andromeda Galaxy, Tyson answers popular questions about the universe, covering… Continue reading
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The Sound of the Universe
Sonification of the Universe The universe is a vast, silent expanse, where sound cannot travel due to the absence of a medium like air or water. Yet, through an innovative process known as sonification, we can “listen” to the cosmos… Continue reading
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What is the Probability of Life on Other Planets?
The likelihood of life existing on other planets depends on several factors, including the habitable zone, chemical composition, and probabilities from frameworks like the Drake Equation. Here are some key points: While the exact probability is uncertain, life is more… Continue reading
SCIENCE WITH LARA 