WEBVTT

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[dramatic percussion music]

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- HI, THERE,
I'M KAJA DUNN.

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WELCOME TO "NASA LAUNCHPAD."

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ARE WE ALONE?

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NO, NOT YOU OR ME

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BUT EVERYONE,
EVERYTHING WE KNOW,

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EARTH!

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ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE?

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OR IS EARTH NOT SO UNIQUE
AFTER ALL?

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COULD THERE BE
OTHER EARTHLIKE BODIES

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THROUGHOUT OUR UNIVERSE?

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AND IF SO,
COULD THEY HARBOR LIFE?

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I KNOW SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS

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MIGHT SEEM
A BIT OUT OF THE ORDINARY,

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BUT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE
ASKING THEM.

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THERE ARE A LOT OF SCIENTISTS
WONDERING THESE SAME THINGS,

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AND THEY'RE EVEN SEARCHING
FOR ANSWERS.

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IT'S ONE
OF THE NEWEST DISCIPLINES

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TO HIT THE WORLD OF SCIENCE,

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AND IT'S CALLED ASTROBIOLOGY.

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AND IT'S NOT JUST THE SCIENCE
CONCERNED WITH LIFE IN SPACE

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OR EVEN THE STUDY
OF LIFE ON EARTH.

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IT'S MORE THAN THAT.

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WE ALL SEEM TO KNOW
IF SOMETHING IS ALIVE OR NOT,

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BUT TRY COMING UP
WITH A DEFINITION

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THAT EVERYONE IN THE SCIENTIFIC
COMMUNITY CAN AGREE ON.

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ASTROBIOLOGY ISN'T SO MUCH
THE SEARCH FOR LIFE

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AS IT IS
THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS.

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ASTROBIOLOGISTS
USE THREE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS

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THAT HELP THEM
GATHER INFORMATION

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ABOUT OUR PLACE
IN THE UNIVERSE:

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WHERE DO WE COME FROM?

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IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE
LIKE US?

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WHERE ARE WE GOING?

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SO HOW DO WE START
LOOKING FOR ANSWERS?

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A GOOD PLACE TO START
IS TO TAKE A LOOK

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AT WHAT WE KNOW
ABOUT LIFE HERE ON EARTH.

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WE KNOW THAT WATER IS ESSENTIAL
FOR LIFE ON OUR PLANET.

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EVERYTHING FROM MAMMALS
TO MICROBES

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RELIES ON WATER
IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

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NOW, FINDING WATER
ON ANOTHER PLANET

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CERTAINLY ISN'T CONCRETE PROOF
THAT LIFE EXISTS,

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BUT IT SURE INCREASES THE ODDS
OF FINDING IT.

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LOOKING AT EARTH AGAIN
FOR CLUES,

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WE KNOW THAT PROKARYOTES

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ARE OUR PLANET'S
MOST ABUNDANT INHABITANTS.

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THERE ARE MORE
OF THESE LITTLE GUYS

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THAN YOU CAN EVEN IMAGINE.

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AND THEY ARE FOUND
NEARLY EVERYWHERE,

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INCLUDING
INHOSPITABLE ENVIRONMENTS

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WITH EXTREME TEMPERATURES,
pH VALUES,

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RADIATION LEVELS, OR EVEN
HIGH LEVELS OF TOXIC MATERIALS.

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BECAUSE OF THESE FACTORS,
SCIENTISTS HAVE AN INKLING

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THAT IF THEY FIND LIFE
OUT IN THE COSMOS,

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IT WILL BE PROKARYOTIC
IN NATURE,

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LIKE BACTERIA
OR SINGLE-CELL ORGANISMS.

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THERE ARE EVEN PLACES
IN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM

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WHERE SCIENTISTS BELIEVE LIFE

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MAY HAVE THE ENVIRONMENT
NECESSARY TO EXIST.

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CAROLYN BRINKWORTH,
A NASA SCIENTIST,

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CAN TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE.

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- YOU KNOW,
OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM

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COULD BE A GREAT PLACE
FOR LOOKING FOR LIFE.

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WE'VE THOUGHT BEFORE
THERE MAY BE LIFE ON MARS,

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BUT WE'RE REALLY NOT
ENTIRELY SURE.

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WE THINK THERE USED TO BE
LIQUID WATER THERE,

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WHICH MEANS THAT THERE MAYBE

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USED TO HAVE BEEN SOMEWHERE
FOR LIFE TO EXIST,

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BUT NOW MARS IS QUITE DRY

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EXCEPT FOR UNDERNEATH
THE SURFACE.

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SO IF WE DO FIND LIFE ON MARS,
IT'LL BE TINY LITTLE BACTERIA,

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AND IT'LL BE
BURIED UNDER THE SURFACE.

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ANOTHER GREAT PLACE
FOR LOOKING FOR LIFE, THOUGH,

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IS ONE OF THE MOONS OF JUPITER
WHICH IS CALLED EUROPA,

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AND EUROPA, WE THINK,
HAS A LIQUID WATER OCEAN

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WHICH IS COVERED
BY AN ICY SHELL.

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AND WE'RE FAIRLY CONVINCED

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THAT IT'S LIQUID
UNDERNEATH THERE

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BECAUSE OF CRACKS THAT WE SEE
APPEARING IN THE ICE.

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AND WHAT HAPPENS IS,
AS EUROPA GOES AROUND JUPITER,

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IT'S SQUASHED AND STRETCHED
IN THE GRAVITATIONAL FIELD,

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AND WE THINK THAT THIS
IS WARMING UP

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THE WATER UNDERNEATH THE ICE
AND KEEPING IT LIQUID,

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SO IT'S POSSIBLE
WE COULD GO THERE

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AND MAYBE FIND LIFE ON EUROPA.

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WE NEED TO GO LOOK.

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- NEW DISCOVERIES
FORCE ASTROBIOLOGISTS

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AND OTHER SCIENTISTS

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TO ADDRESS THEIR OWN ASSUMPTIONS
ABOUT LIFE.

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THE MORE WE LEARN,
THE MORE QUESTIONS WE HAVE.

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ONE OF SATURN'S MOONS, TITAN,

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HAS SCIENTISTS QUESTIONING
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT LIFE.

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LET'S CHECK IN
WITH DR. JAMES GREEN,

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DIRECTOR OF PLANETARY SCIENCE
FOR NASA.

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- TITAN, WHAT A FABULOUS MOON
OF SATURN.

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BUT THIS MOON IS ENORMOUS.

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IT IS BIGGER
THAN THE PLANET MERCURY.

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IF WE WERE TO PULL IT OUT

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OF SATURN'S
GRAVITATIONAL INFLUENCE

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AND HAVE IT ORBIT THE SUN
INSTEAD,

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WE WOULD CALL IT A PLANET.

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IT HAS AN ATMOSPHERE.

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IT HAS LIQUID METHANE
ON ITS SURFACE.

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THINK ABOUT THAT.

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IT IS THE ONLY OTHER OBJECT
BESIDES THE EARTH

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THAT HAS A LIQUID
ON ITS SURFACE.

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INSTEAD OF WATER,
LIKE IT IS ON EARTH,

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IT HAS METHANE LAKES.

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RIGHT NOW, WE'VE COUNTED
MANY OF THOSE.

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WELL OVER 200 METHANE LAKES
EXIST ON TITAN.

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WE'VE ALSO LOOKED
AT ITS HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE,

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AND INDEED, WE SEE A PROCESS

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OF EVAPORATION, CONDENSATION,
AND RAIN.

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IT IS RAINING METHANE
RIGHT NOW

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ON THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
OF TITAN.

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- COULD LIFE EXIST HERE?

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PERHAPS LIQUID METHANE
PLAYS A SIMILAR ROLE

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TO LIFE-FORMS ON TITAN

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AS LIQUID WATER DOES
TO LIFE-FORMS ON EARTH.

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- JUST TO ME,
SEEING THE POTENTIAL

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OF STUFF THAT'S OUT THERE--

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I MEAN, WE HAVE GONE FROM ONLY
KNOWING ABOUT OUR OWN PLANET

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TO KNOWING ABOUT PRETTY MUCH
EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE UNIVERSE,

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AND WE'RE STILL EXPLORING.

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WE'RE ALWAYS PUSHING
THESE BOUNDARIES, YOU KNOW.

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WE'RE DISCOVERING
MORE AND MORE AND MORE THINGS,

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AND WE'RE ALWAYS ON THE CUTTING
EDGE OF FINDING NEW THINGS.

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I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW
WHETHER THERE ARE

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HABITABLE PLANETS
OUT THERE.

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I THINK THERE PROBABLY ARE.

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I WOULD REALLY, REALLY,
REALLY LIKE

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TO FIND LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE.

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I THINK THAT WOULD BE
INCREDIBLE.

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JUST THE CHANCES OF FINDING IT,

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I MEAN, HOW INCREDIBLE
WOULD THAT BE

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IF WE FOUND LIFE
ON ANOTHER PLANET?

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THAT'S JUST
COMPLETELY REVOLUTIONARY.

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IT'S MIND-BLOWING
IF WE COULD FIND THAT.

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YEAH, JUST TO KNOW THAT WE'RE
NOT ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE,

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IT'S COMPLETELY MIND-BLOWING.

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- NEW INNOVATIONS
IN TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING

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DRIVE NEW DISCOVERIES
IN SCIENCE,

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WHICH LEAD TO THE NEED
FOR NEW INSTRUMENTS

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TO VERIFY THE RESULTS.

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SO IT'S YOUR GENERATION, YOU,

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THAT WILL BE LEADING
THIS QUEST FOR LIFE

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AND POTENTIALLY ANSWERING
ONE OF HUMANKIND'S

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MOST ASKED QUESTIONS:
"ARE WE ALONE?"

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THAT'S IT FOR NOW.

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THANKS FOR WATCHING.
I'M KAJA DUNN.

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CATCH YOU NEXT TIME
ON "NASA LAUNCHPAD."