Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Connections

The search for life in the universe heats up

Two smiling men wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: the man back left is bald, has a grey mustache and beard, and is wearing glasses and a black t-shirt under a green button-down shirt. He is holding two thumbs up. The man front right has short dark hair and is wearing a white polka dot button-down shirt with blue cuffs, and jeans.
Megan Mack
/
WXXI News
Adam Frank on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Monday, May 12, 2025
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
WXXI News

Astronomers recently detected a signature of life on a distant planet. This does not mean that we have discovered aliens, but it's reasonable to wonder what is giving off this signal.

We discuss the mission to find planets that are brimming with life — or are at least habitable. We also talk about why the search for life remains so intriguing to so many scientists. Our guest:

  • Adam Frank, Ph.D., author and Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.