Video of Giggling Gorilla

copyright: University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover.

Do not try this at home! A researcher tickles a gorilla as part of a study into the evolutionary roots of laughter. Hear the results in Seth's interview with psychologist Marina Davila-Ross on "What Makes Us Human? Part I: Others."

2009: A Spacefest Awed to See

(from left to right, Keir Dullea, Phil Plait, Gary Lockwood)

Earlier this year, Seth spoke at Spacefest in San Diego, a gathering of astronomers and astronauts to celebrate the exploration of Space. Also in attendance were the two main actors from "2001: A Space Odyssey", Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood. You can hear Seth's interview with them in this week's show. Another featured speaker at Spacefest (and monthly guest on Are We Alone's 'Skeptic Check'), Phil Plait, is pictured here with the two actors. They wanted Seth to be in the shot too, but as the photographer, he had to say, "Sorry, Dave. I can't do that."

Seth on Colbert Report

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Seth Shostak
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Missed Seth on The Colbert Report? Catch him here talking about his new book, "Confessions of an Alien Hunter!"

Seth on the Colbert Report this Wednesday!

This Wednesday, May 20th at 11:30pm, Are We Alone's very own Seth Shostak will be a guest on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report". Host Stephen Colbert will talk with Seth about his new book, "Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist’s Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence" and Seth's work at the SETI Institute.

And maybe a certain radio show?

Go Seth!

Now you sea them...

Yes, Seth and Molly really did record this week's show at the beach. Not only did it give the show its authentically beachy sound, it also gave our portable recording equipment a much needed shot of salty sea air. We may have to fake it if we do a show about a microphone incineration plant.

Interpreting your PhD thesis... through dance

What if you were challenged to describe your PhD thesis without words, slides, or anything other than dance? Here are some examples, described in this week's show, which you can review to see how effective their interpretation is.

Boldly Going Nowhere - Seth writes for the NYT

This week, Seth expanded on an earlier article for an op-ed piece in the New York Times. In it, Seth describes the near future of space 'travel' being conducted visually and robotically. After all, it would take as long as homo sapiens have walked the earth to get to the nearest star and back. And it may not be worth the wait. Better yet, Seth suggests, we should be sending unmanned craft, like the Mars rovers, to survey and capture data that we can analyze from the safety of our living rooms. You can read the whole editorial HERE.