INTERVIEW WITH DR. SETH SHOSTAK

Unfortunately I was unable to meet with Dr. Shostak in person. He was called away to New York City to tape a television appearance. He was kind enough to reach me by phone and I transcribed his answers into a little script. Here is an account of our call:

SETH: Hi, am I talking to Brian Luce?

BRIAN: Yes?!

SETH: Good. Brian, I just wanted to let you know that you’ve won the California State Lottery. It’s a sum of 4.2 million dollars … how do you feel?

BRIAN: (Smugly.) Where’s the other .8 million?

SETH: Hey Brian, it’s Seth, but you probably already guessed that. (Laughs.) How you doing, man?

BRIAN: Good, I’m glad you called, where are you?

SETH: I’m sorry I couldn’t be there; I’m in the Big Apple. I’m going on the Colbert Report to promote my new book.

BRIAN: Cool, I’ll have to check you out. When does it air?

SETH: Wednesday. Listen, I haven’t got much time. Are you okay with doing this over the phone?

BRIAN: Absolutely. I’ll start out with your bio, which you of course wrote:

As Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), Seth is an enthusiastic participant in the Institute’s SETI observing programs. He also heads up the International Academy of Astronautics’ SETI Permanent Study Group.

In addition, Seth is keen on outreach activities: interesting the public – and especially young people – in science in general, and astrobiology in particular. He’s co-authored a college textbook on astrobiology, and continues to write trade books on SETI. In addition, he’s published nearly 300 popular articles on science, gives many dozens of talks annually, and is the host of the SETI Institute’s weekly science radio show, “Are We Alone?”

Did I forget anything?

SETH: That I also am the editor of the SETI Quarterly magazine, The Explorer.

BRIAN: Thanks for being on the phone with us tonight to grant this lowly interview to our dynamic group. The Ten Right Angles. I was wondering if you could briefly explain what the SETI Institute does. And, for those who are curious, who funds the SETI Institute?

SETH: The SETI Institute is a privately funded organization that basically points it radio telescopes or “listens” to distant stars for radio signals emanating from other planets. We’re looking for ET. I’d also like to make it clear that NASA does not have a SETI project.

BRIAN: So, it’s like the movie Contact with Jodie Foster.

SETH: Well, sort of. Carl Sagan is one of the founding members of the SETI Institute, way back when this program did belong to the government. Carl Sagan, as you know penned the book, Contact.

BRIAN: Now that we’ve gotten some of the background out of the way let’s move on to the questions my group asked. So, I went through the list of dozens of questions that were posted on our blog at www.10rightangles.blogspost.com, and combed out the most pertinent and the most intriguing questions. Ready?

SETH: Shoot!

BRIAN: When you originally came to college, was searching for extraterrestrials your dream, or did you have another dream as a freshman in college?

SETH: Well, I had always been interested in the possibility of alien life -- I read books about it when I was a kid. But in college, I was torn between wanting to go to the moon and wanting to save railroad passenger service. So far, I've done neither.

BRIAN: I want to know this one. Do people ever mistake you for a radio horoscoper and ask you about their love lives?

SETH: (Laughs.) Not a radio astrologer, but occasionally an ordinary astrologer. I try to gratify their wishes by telling them something about their futures... for example, that they're going to lose 20 pounds this weekend, and make a few million bucks on the lottery. I never see these people a second time.

BRIAN: What kinda of music do you like?

SETH: I like most musical forms, other than jazz. But when I buy music, it's mostly classical. Love the Russian romantics.

BRIAN: What movie made you think the most?

SETH: Lots of movies have made me think about things, but the movie that made the biggest impression on me was the original version of "War of the Worlds". I saw it as a kid, and many times since. Unlike the Spielberg remake, the Martians were pitiless in the original. Truly horrifying.

BRIAN: What is your take on the Roswell incident? Area 51? Abductions?

SETH: Regarding Roswell, that was the best thing that ever happened to that New Mexico town. I don't think aliens crash-landed there, however. Same with Area 51 -- lots of secret aircraft, but I doubt that they have the aliens in drawers there. As for alien abductions, well, seems strange they would come hundreds of light-years to prod and probe us. Charles Darwin didn't do that to the iguanas of the Galapagos, and they at least had DNA.

BRIAN: You did a radio show from Roswell once, right?

SETH: That’s right. If you remember it was an on-the-road radio show.

BRIAN: Is it still up on the "Are We Alone?" website?

SETH: I’m not sure, but it’s worth checking out.

BRIAN: How do you think the public would respond to a confirmed existence of extra terrestrials?

SETH: I don't think they'd go non-linear at all. If we were to pick up a signal, I'm sure the overwhelming reaction would be ... that's interesting. Tell us more.

BRIAN: That sounds very civil, perhaps wishful.

SETH: (Laughs.) You know, we’ll get some nut jobs, but we get those people calling anyway.

BRIAN: We sure do. If life where to have occurred elsewhere in the universe, what is the likelihood that it would be similar or identical to that of earth? What kind of life-form do you think they/it would be?

SETH: If they're biological life forms, then the safest bet is that they, like us, are carbon-based. That just makes good sense from a chemistry point of view. But if we find intelligent aliens, they may very well have moved on to artificial intelligence, and could be made out of anything.

BRIAN: Where do you think this type of technology will put us in terms of communication in 20 years?

SETH: SETI follows developments in digital electronics, rather than leads. But of course our terrestrial communication systems are becoming cheaper and ubiquitous. Everything will be wireless soon enough....

BRIAN: Using this technology, what have been some more of the interesting findings over the years?

SETH: SETI hasn't yet found a signal, but the radio astronomers have discovered things we never even imagined could exist -- such as pulsars and quasars, not to mention perhaps the most significant find of all: the remnant radio "glow" from the Big Bang.

BRIAN: How do you handle criticism of people who think the search for extra terrestrials is all nonsense?

SETH: Nonsense?! I grant them that this effort is a long shot. But then I ask them if they think it would be important to learn that we have cosmic company. They almost invariably agree that it would be VERY important.

BRIAN: Where do you think the intersections between this science and the arts are?

SETH: (Pause.) All over the place, but the interaction is mostly faulty. That's because people specialize a lot these days. The era of the Renaissance Man ended with ... the end of the Renaissance!

BRIAN: You said it man. Well, that’s it. I’m glad I did this. I know I learned a few things about you that I hadn’t known before. Thank you Seth for you time and your responses. I thank you and I know 10 other students thank you.

SETH: My pleasure. I hope this gets you closer to that theater degree.

BRIAN: (Pause.) Bye, Seth.

SETH: Talk you later, man.

BRIAN: Seth’s radio show is called "Are We Alone?" and can be found on the SETI website. If you want more information on the SETI Institute and the search for life in the universe please visit, http://www.seti.org/.