Watch Mel talk about the book with me and Nick Lane at the RI here. www.youtube.com/live/-3czmRb...

Alive: what life is, how it works, and why it matters

YouTube video by The Royal Institution

youtube.com

"UKRI wants to tell a big story about science funding going up, but instead is mired in a row over a fairly minor sum that has angered scientists and sections of the public. One does not have to be an astronomer to know that optics matter." 💯

The Guardian view on the Lovell telescope: budget cuts to physics are bad science and worse politics | Editorial

Editorial: Funders have picked a damaging fight with scientists and the public. They should reconsider their plans

theguardian.com

Advancing the search for technosignatures ☄️

Advancing the search for technosignatures

Nature Astronomy, Published online: 10 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41550-026-02906-6The IAU’s first fully online symposium brought researchers together from around the globe to discuss technosignatures. Upcoming all-sky surveys, exoplanet missions and tools to search data archives offer new directions for the field.

dlvr.it

Prospects for Astrobiology and Technosignature Searches with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time https://arxiv.org/pdf/2606.00574 Andjelka B Kovacevic, Nigel J. Mason, Aleksandra Ciprijanovic, Becky Long, Dominika Korczakowska, Maia Moore, Juulia Voulukka.

George Profitiliotis: The Allure of Complete Discovery as Passage: Broadening the Range of SETI Research Ideas via Futures Literacy and Triple-Loop Learning https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.26022 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2606.26022 https://arxiv.org/html/2606.26022

Read more about the observatory scientists are saying could "rewrite the textbooks" in this feature by @astrokimcartier.bsky.social. eos.org/features/sma...

Small, Faint, or Fast, Rubin Will Find It - Eos

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is set to redraw the map of the solar system by discovering millions of small, fast-moving objects hidden all around us.

eos.org

"One millionth Starlink detected" isn't listed, because it would be like the free space. xkcd.com/3278/

Vera Rubin Observatory

xkcd.com

Scientists look for biosignatures & technosignatures as signs of life, but what about signatures that are not high-technology but yet are still the imprint of conscious minds? I wrote about the concept of noosignatures, being developed by astrobiologist Julia DeMarines www.space.com/space-explor...

Are we overlooking signs of alien life that aren't technological or biological? 'Bread would be a signature of intelligence'

Not all signs of intelligence have to be highly technological. Take bread, for example.

space.com

The SETI Institute's Wow! Literary Award invites writers and poets working in literature, speculative fiction/sci-fi, experimental poetry, and philosophy to submit original, unpublished creative work that reflects and expands on the SETI Institute’s “Intelligence and Consciousness” research area...

Strongly recommend Sarah Perry on the wonder of Jodrell 🔭 observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Earth to Whitehall: the wonder and knowledge of Jodrell B...

The threatened closure of the world-famous radio telescope is symptomatic of a drive against learning and inquiry that is making us sicker as a society

observer.co.uk

“We’re seeing these intense fires and unpredictable behaviours. It definitely feels like an important topic to be researching.” go.nature.com/4xbSsx2

First mission to fly through monstrous ‘fire clouds’ is about to take off

Nature - The towering formations appearing over severe wildfires in France and Oregon loft smoke so high they have global consequences.

go.nature.com

I'm absolutely devastated for colleagues at Jodrell Bank who found out this morning that funding for the UK's e-MERLIN radio telescope array will be terminated. This is a short-sighted move, to save a tiny fraction of the overall UK science budget. #SaveJodrellBank 🔭🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Jodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understands

Astronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained.

bbc.co.uk

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 3w ago

“What will the Lovell Telescope discover/enable 20 yrs from now? I can’t tell you, and that’s the point. It will either be something extraordinary that none of us can yet predict, or we will defund it and leave Cheshire with a rusting monument to unfulfilled potential and discoveries never made.” 🔭🧪

I wrote a textbook! I hope you like it. store.ioppublishing.org/page/detail/...

Many thanks to the St. Andrews @setihub.bsky.social for the opportunity not only to trade the heat wave in Germany for a beautiful day in Scotland, but also to enjoy chips that are flavored with something other than paprika

🧠 Does intelligence require memory or foresight? Memory enables learning; foresight enables planning. Together they link past, present, and future. But could intelligence exist only in the present—responding instinctively without recalling or anticipating—or is time awareness essential? 🕰️

Members of the SETI Post Detection Hub are presenting talks and posters this week at #AbSciCon2026! Whether you’re attending the conference or following from afar, what questions about life beyond Earth interest you most?

🌌 At the SETI-Post Detection Hub, we explore how humans interpret contact. First hand accounts of alien encounters often resemble religious experiences through themes of revelation, salvation and a belief in higher beings. Are these shaped by religion, or universal responses to the unknown? 🙏

🧠 Does intelligence naturally try to control its environment? Many intelligent systems reshape their surroundings. Some argue that increasing control is a natural outcome of intelligence. Others see it as a specific cultural choice. 💬 Do you connect intelligence with environmental control?

🧰 Do tools define intelligence? We often treat tool use as proof of intelligence—but some minds may rely purely on internal models. If a species showed deep planning without tools, would we rethink what intelligence really means? 💬 Are tools essential for intelligence?

For the science-loving, early-rising secondary school student in your life: a special Earth Day citizen science session w. Megan Li (UCLA SETI), Hari Mogoșanu astrobiology.nz & the Hub. Aimed at students. Curious others welcome. 23rd April NZ Aotearoa breakfast! events.humanitix.com/earth-day-se...

Special Earth Day Citizen Science SETI Session

Help Search for Extraterrestrial Technosignatures, open as an intergenerational meeting for the curious - students, teachers, researchers and the wider public

events.humanitix.com

We’re looking forward to a special Earth Day meeting on citizen science w. Megan Li from UCLA SETI and our colleagues in Aotearoa New Zealand, Hari Mogoșanu astrobiology.nz & @kategenevieve.bsky.social. All welcome, esp. curious students. 22 April, 8.30pm UK/BST events.humanitix.com/earth-day-se...

Special Earth Day Citizen Science SETI Session

Help Search for Extraterrestrial Technosignatures, open as an intergenerational meeting for the curious - students, teachers, researchers and the wider public

events.humanitix.com

🧭 Would intelligent aliens share our values? We often project human traits like curiosity or cooperation, but their evolution might shape entirely different goals. How would that affect understanding or peace? 💬 Could any values be universal?

🌍 Who should have a say after a detection of life beyond Earth is announced? Decisions won’t belong to astronomers alone. Communities worldwide, especially those facing inequality, will have their own concerns and priorities. Whose perspectives do you think are missing in space discussions today?

📡If a species could think but never communicate, would it still be considered intelligent? Intelligence may exist in isolation, but without communication, it’s nearly impossible to recognize or measure. Is communication necessary for intelligence? 🗣️

🌍 Can intelligence exist on larger scales? Earth’s biosphere regulates itself through complex feedback loops. Could this resemble a kind of planetary intelligence? If so, how would we detect it beyond Earth? What signs would large-scale intelligence leave behind? #Intelligence #SETI #Astrobiology

🛸 Culture often shapes our image of extraterrestrial life before science does. The classic “Green Alien,” rooted in early sci-fi and pop culture, became the default. Does this humanoid archetype bias expectations and influence how we imagine—or react to—discovering alien life? 👽

🧠 We often imagine alien contact as being intelligent. But what if we first find a non-sentient organism? Would their extraterrestrial origin grant greater moral status—or would we treat them like endangered species on Earth, where uneven protection and exploitation persists? ⚖️

🛰️ Why plan for contact before a confirmed signal? Once a detection claim goes public, decisions about data, messaging, and verification will move fast. Waiting until that moment could create confusion, mistrust, and missed opportunities. 💬 What should be in place before any future announcement?

🌍 “Pray that there’s intelligent life somewhere out in space, ‘Cause there’s bugger all down here on Earth!” — Monty Python. Belief in aliens is often linked to social dissatisfaction. If alien life were confirmed, would it unite humanity—or deepen alienation? 👽