Brian Cox examines why, despite billions of stars and trillions of planets, we have found no evidence of other intelligent life.

Thanks to modern tech, Earth is now considered a ‘detectable’ planet. Astrophysicist Sara Seager explains how this idea can lead us to discovering life elsewhere in our universe.

Military satellite research brought us GPS. Astronomers influenced medical imaging tech. What would be invented after we discover alien life? Professor Sara Seager explains the consequences of such a groundbreaking discovery.

Astronomer Jill Tarter explains why SETI is really about technology, patience, and learning how to tell alien signals from our own.

30 years ago, we didn’t know other stars had planets orbiting them. Now, we may be on the verge of finding Earth’s Twin. Sara Seager explains.

“Deep down the natural endpoint of this whole goal of looking for planets is to answer the question: are we alone?”

"We're stuck at type zero. But what would it take to move between universes? What would it take to enter a black hole? What would it take to break the light barrier?"

“An equation, perhaps no more than one inch long, that would allow us to, quote, 'Read the mind of God.'”

“Could black holes be the key to a quantum theory of gravity, a deeper theory of how reality, of how space and time works?”

"We've sent out one or two little messages, but we certainly aren't investing billions of dollars shouting out into the cosmos saying, "Hey, we are here. Come say hi.""

We may be close to finding life beyond Earth. But would we even recognize it if we did? Astrobiologist Betül Kaçar explains what signs NASA is looking for.

“We are beginning to take our first steps out into the cosmic ocean… and the water seems inviting.”

“We don't have enough knowledge to precisely calculate what is going to happen, and so we assign probabilities to it, which reflects our ignorance of the situation.”

"There is interesting ethical questions about how we should actually conduct ourselves in [a space colonization] exploration phase."

"There's a long history of people claiming planets which look Earth-like, Earth 2.0, Earth twins."

"Many astronomers are really driven by the search for Earth twins because I think deep down the natural endpoint of this whole goal of looking for planets is to answer the question, are we alone?"

"Asking the question of, where did the entire universe come from, is no longer a question for poets and theologians and philosophers. This is a question for scientists, and we have some amazing scientific answers to this question that have defied even the wildest of our expectations."

Kmele talked with a planetary scientist, a physicist, and a futurist, to understand how visionaries across disciplines are thinking about the future of our planet and humankind.

Dispatches host Kmele Foster is on a journey to understand humanity’s role in the cosmos. His first stop? The Atacama Plateau in Northern Chile, home to the darkest deserts and largest telescopes on earth.

Humanity is a type 0 civilization. Here’s what types 1, 2, and 3 look like, according to physicist Michio Kaku.

There are a few theories as to why we’ve never found other intelligent life in our Universe. Physicist Brian Cox walks us through them.

A physicist discusses the boundaries of reality and experimentation.

Ever wonder what would happen if we got sucked into a black hole? Turns out we could live in it for a while — if it was big enough.

“The more we understand ourselves and the universe, the more magnificent it is.”

Do aliens dream about meeting us, too?

The first human that isn’t an Earthling could be in our lifetime.

Humans won’t survive if we stay on Earth. Michio Kaku explains.

What lies in store for humanity? Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku explains how different life will be for your descendants—and maybe your future self, if the timing works out.

Theoretical physicist Brian Greene explores the potential particles of time and why we could, in theory, travel forward in time but not back.

Dr. Sara Walker is an astrobiologist and theoretical physicist, who is questioning the very nature of life and how we’re attempting to find it elsewhere.