Speaker: Andru Gheorghui; Current PhD student, LFCS

Title: Searching for ET – What we know so far

Abstract: Is our little blue planet the only inhabited world in the cosmos? Or are there other beings among the stars that gaze up into the sky and wonder, as we do, about who else is out there? This talk is a brief review of the progress that has been made in trying to answer these questions. From the Fermi paradox, the Drake equation, SETI and the Wow signal, to the rare Earth hypothesis, the great filter and the Kepler mission, I will attempt to go through the most important results concerning our search for extraterrestrial life and what our prospects are for the future. At the end, based on what we know so far, I’ll briefly mention my own opinion about whether or not we’re alone in the universe.