Ben Miller Says The Aliens are Coming!

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: This episode of Planetary Radio centers on NASA’s selection of two Discovery missions—Psyche and Lucy—while sidelining Venus proposals, followed by Bill Nye’s discussion of NASA leadership and Ben Miller’s lively, science-rich exploration of life in the universe, from fine-tuned physics and abiogenesis to SETI, animal intelligence, and alien communication. The show closes with Bruce Betts’ sky report and trivia.

Main Topics: NASA’s Discovery Program selections: Emily Lakdawalla explains NASA chose Psyche and Lucy as the next Discovery missions, prioritizing two asteroid-focused missions over Venus concepts. Psyche will study the metal asteroid Psyche; Lucy will visit Jupiter Trojan asteroids, including a binary target. Venus missions left unfunded: The episode notes disappointment across the planetary science community that both Venus proposals were passed over, though NEOCAM received continued funding to stay alive for now. Bill Nye on NASA science leadership: Nye describes meeting NASA Science Mission Directorate head Thomas Zurbuchen, emphasizing shared priorities around good storytelling, integrated science at NASA, and especially the search for life beyond Earth. Ben Miller’s book and the search for extraterrestrial life: Miller discusses The Aliens Are Coming and argues that understanding alien life requires understanding life, physics, and cosmic conditions more broadly, with humor and accessibility. Origins and evolution of life on Earth: A major thread is how life may have started in alkaline hydrothermal vents, how membranes evolved in bacteria and archaea, and how endosymbiosis enabled complex eukaryotic cells. SETI, Fermi paradox, and communicating with alien intelligence: Miller covers Fermi’s question, Drake’s equation, UFO skepticism, biosignatures in exoplanet atmospheres, and the challenge of communicating with a truly alien civilization. Animal intelligence and communication: The conversation broadens to crows, dolphins, whales, and octopuses as examples of nonhuman cognition and communication, including the limits and promise of cross-species language research.

Key Arguments: NASA’s selection of Psyche and Lucy is scientifically exciting because both target classes—metal asteroids and Jupiter Trojans—are largely unexplored and may preserve solar system formation history. Leaving Venus unfunded is a major missed opportunity because Venus remains underexplored despite its importance for understanding planetary evolution and habitability. Bill Nye argues NASA should be internally integrated around a compelling mission, and the most profound one is searching for life on other worlds. Miller’s core claim is that life depends on the universe’s physical constants and on electricity/energy gradients; small changes to fundamental forces would prevent galaxies, stars, and life from forming. The origin of life may have begun in steady-energy hydrothermal vents rather than a one-off lightning or pond scenario, because life needs continuous energy to build complexity. Complex life likely arose from a rare symbiosis between archaea and bacteria that produced eukaryotic cells and mitochondria, explaining why multicellular intelligence may be uncommon. The Fermi paradox may be resolved by the idea that simple life is common but complex, communicative intelligence is extremely rare and/or far away in space and time. There is no strong evidence that UFO sightings demonstrate alien visitation, but there is growing scientific potential to detect life indirectly through atmospheric spectroscopy on exoplanets. Communication with alien intelligence would likely require shared context or a ‘Rosetta Stone’ equivalent, not just isolated signals; this is why language, culture, and information richness matter. Nonhuman species on Earth demonstrate that intelligence and language can emerge in surprising forms, suggesting caution before assuming human-style communication is the only model.

Data Points: Discovery missions selected: 2 - NASA chose Psyche and Lucy as the next Discovery Program missions. Discovery finalist missions: 5 - There were five possible missions remaining before NASA’s selection. Venus proposals selected: 0 - Neither of the two Venus missions was funded in this round. NEOCAM funding status: continued funding - NEOCAM received additional support to keep the mission alive for now. Universe age in Miller’s analogy: 14 billion years - He scales cosmic history into a 14-second desktop model universe. Model universe runtime: 14 seconds - Miller’s thought experiment compresses 14 billion years into 14 seconds. Gravity strength comparison: 10^-40 times weaker - Miller notes gravity is extraordinarily weak compared with the other forces. Search for nearby stars: about 100,000 - SETI searches of nearby Sun-like stars have yielded no signal. Age of Earth’s oldest woman in space at launch: 56 - Bruce Betts identifies Peggy Whitson as the oldest woman to fly in space. Peggy Whitson’s upcoming age milestone: 57 - She would turn 57 while still aboard the ISS. Cassini Titan landing year: 2005 - Cassini-Huygens entered Titan’s atmosphere and landed in 2005. Stardust sample return year: 2006 - Stardust returned comet samples in 2006. Cassini Saturn orbits inside rings before plunge: 22 - Betts notes Cassini will complete 22 orbits inside Saturn’s rings. Contest deadline: January 17, 8 a.m. Pacific - Bruce Betts announces the next trivia deadline.

Pivotal Quotes: "If you want to understand the possibility of E.T., you really have to talk about life, the universe, and everything." — Matt Kaplan: Kaplan frames Ben Miller’s book as a broad scientific exploration rather than a narrow alien speculation. "We’re here for you, man." — Bill Nye: Nye describes his meeting with NASA’s new Science Mission Directorate head and the Planetary Society’s support for his goals. "The universe had to have come into existence and life had to have existed." — Ben Miller: Miller explains why the fine-tuning argument is partly observational but still meaningful in cosmology.

Implications: The episode underscores a strategic split in planetary science priorities, but also highlights a broader scientific shift toward detecting life indirectly, understanding intelligence across species, and framing space exploration around the search for life rather than only human expansion.