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Prof Avi Loeb on what 'Oumuamua tells us about the problem with modern physics

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In 2017, the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii spotted an interstellar object passing by Earth for the first time. Shortly after, Harvard’s Prof Avi Loeb was met with a backlash from the scientific community for suggesting it could be of alien origin.
Now, several years on, he has written a book, Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, outlining why we still can’t out rule the possibility, and why scientists should always keep an open mind.
We speak to Avi on this week's episode of the Science Focus Podcast. He tells us why he believes the object, 'Oumuamua, was of alien origin, and what problems this reveals about the way modern physics is conducted.
Read an edited excerpt of this interview
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Read the full transcription of this episode [this will open in a new window]

Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:

Dr Douglas Vakoch: Should we try to contact aliens?

Bergur Finnbogason: Project Discovery and its search for exoplanets

Dr Erin Macdonald: Is there science in Star Trek?

What if the Earth’s magnetic field died? – Jim Al-Khalili

Building a base on the Moon, and crafting believable sci-fi – Andy Weir

Dr Becky Smethurst: How do you actually find a black hole?

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