Searching for life on other planets with astrophysicist Sara Seager

When I was a small child, my dad took me to a star party. That's not like where the Hollywood stars are, but it's where amateur astronomers have their telescopes out. I remember clearly getting to see the moon through a telescope for the first time. It's absolutely astonishing. The moon is literally a whole other world.

And I just thought, wow, what is out there? It's so huge and vast and magnificent, you know, whatever's out there beyond Earth. Hey everyone, it's Adam Grant. Welcome back to Rethinking, my podcast with Ted on the science of what makes us tick. I'm an organizational psychologist, and I'm taking you inside the minds of fascinating people to explore new thoughts and new ways of thinking.

Sarah Seeger is an astrophysicist and planetary scientist whose research focuses on exoplanets, planets outside our solar system, orbiting other stars. When we spoke, she was at MIT, sitting in front of her chalkboard, which was covered in equations. Sarah, is that the Goodwill hunting chalkboard behind you? Well, it is MIT. It's on brand.

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