#455 – Adam Frank: Alien Civilizations and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Lex Fridman Podcast

Adam Frank is an astrophysicist studying star systems and the search for extraterrestrial life and alien civilizations.
Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep455-sc
See below for timestamps, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.

CONTACT LEX:
Feedback – give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey
AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama
Hiring – join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring
Other – other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact

EPISODE LINKS:
Adam’s Website: https://adamfrankscience.com
Adam’s X: https://x.com/adamfrank4
Adam’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/adamfrankscience
Adam’s Books:
The Little Book of Aliens: https://amzn.to/3OTX1rP
Light of the Stars: https://amzn.to/4iMKC6C
The Blind Spot: https://amzn.to/4gOCe4K
The Constant Fire: https://amzn.to/3ZVnxX4

SPONSORS:
To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:
Encord: AI tooling for annotation & data management.
Go to https://encord.com/lex
Eight Sleep: Temp-controlled smart mattress cover.
Go to https://eightsleep.com/lex
Shopify: Sell stuff online.
Go to https://shopify.com/lex
NetSuite: Business management software.
Go to http://netsuite.com/lex
BetterHelp: Online therapy and counseling.
Go to https://betterhelp.com/lex
Notion: Note-taking and team collaboration.
Go to https://notion.com/lex
LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix.
Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex
AG1: All-in-one daily nutrition drinks.
Go to https://drinkag1.com/lex

OUTLINE:
(00:00) – Introduction
(14:22) – Planet formation
(19:32) – Plate tectonics
(26:54) – Extinction events
(31:04) – Biosphere
(34:02) – Technosphere
(38:17) – Emergence of intelligence
(44:29) – Drake equation
(48:43) – Exoplanets
(51:28) – Habitable zones
(54:30) – Fermi Paradox
(1:03:28) – Alien civilizations
(1:12:55) – Colonizing Mars
(1:25:11) – Search for aliens
(1:41:37) – Alien megastructures
(1:47:43) – Kardashev scale
(1:52:56) – Detecting aliens
(1:59:38) – Warp drives
(2:05:45) – Cryogenics
(2:09:03) – What aliens look like
(2:17:48) – Alien contact
(2:28:53) – UFO sightings
(2:40:38) – Physics of life
(3:06:29) – Nature of time
(3:22:53) – Cognition
(3:27:16) – Mortality

PODCAST LINKS:
– Podcast Website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast
– Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr
– Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8
– RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/
– Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4
– Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/lexclips