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Take Two

Wildfires damaging SETI efforts to find alien life

By Take Two Staff
Published Aug 11, 2014
Radio telescopes of the Allen Telescope Array, seen here soon after their construction in 2007, gave SETI's search for intelligent alien life a big boost. Now the array, located in Hat Creek, Calif., has lost the funding it received from the California state government.
Radio telescopes of the Allen Telescope Array, seen here soon after their construction in 2007, gave SETI's search for intelligent alien life a big boost. Now the array, located in Hat Creek, Calif., has lost the funding it received from the California state government.
(
Ben Margot/AP
)

Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.

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Listen 4:39
Wildfires damaging SETI efforts to find alien life

As the wildfires in California continue to burn, firefighters are working to protect homes, businesses, and an observatory that's dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial life.

This week, operations at the SETI Institute’s Allen Telescope Array were disrupted as flames came dangerously close and caused a power outage. A Martinez talked with Dr. Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer and Director of the Center for SETI Research, about how the fire impacted his work.