# Extraterrestrial Life: Are We the Sharpest Cookies in the Jar?

- Institution: CERN
- Department: CERN Colloquium
- Speaker: Avi Loeb
- Year: 2021
- Language: English
- Source: [CERN](https://videos.cern.ch/record/3006509)
- Licence: [CERN](http://copyright.web.cern.ch)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

The search for extraterrestrial life is one of the most exciting frontiers in Astronomy. First tentative clues were identified close to Earth in the form of the weird interstellar object `Oumuamua. Our civilization will mature once we find out who resides on our cosmic street by searching with our best telescopes for unusual electromagnetic flashes, industrial pollution of planetary atmospheres, artificial light or heat, artificial space debris or something completely unexpected. We might be a form of life as primitive and common in the cosmos as ants are in a kitchen. If so, we can learn a lot from others out there through the new frontier of "space archaeology".

The lecture will feature content from my book "Extraterrestrial", available at

https://www.hmhbooks.com/shop/books/Extraterrestrial/9780358274551

CERN Colloquium by Prof. Avi Loeb, 15 April 2021: https://cern.zoom.us/j/61141169137?pwd=ZTJ5M3I1R285OWtyZ1NrVlZjNDFndz09.

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## Lectures

1. [Extraterrestrial Life: Are We the Sharpest Cookies in the Jar?](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/cern/3006509/7f7a4ae75827), 1 h 32 min (CERN's player)