Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
RAS Octoner Public Talk - Prof Ian Crawford at 6pm
The Fermi Paradox — Where are the Aliens?
One of the most exciting discoveries in astronomy in recent decades has been the realisation that planets are common companions of stars. This raises an exciting possibility: that many of these planets could harbour life, and some could even be the home to advanced technological civilizations – perhaps far more advance than our own. However, we see no evidence for extraterrestrial technological civilisations, an apparent paradox famously articulated by the physicist Enrico Fermi in 1950. In this talk, we will explore attempted solutions to the Fermi Paradox and argue that, despite the vast number of planets, extraterrestrial technological civilisations are probably very rare, if not non-existent, in the Galaxy.
About our speaker
Ian Crawford is a Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology at Birkbeck, University of London. His research activities mostly lie in the fields of planetary science, especially lunar science and exploration, and astrobiology, the search for life in the Universe. He has long had an interest in the future of space exploration and is convinced that space exploration and development will prove to be of central importance for the future of. He is the author of over 200 peer-reviewed research papers in the fields of astronomy, humanity planetary science, astrobiology and space exploration. In 2021, Ian was awarded the Royal Astronomical Society's Service Award for Geophysics; the citation refers to his long-standing promotion of lunar science and human space exploration, his role as a mentor for young planetary scientists, and other contributions to the planetary science community.
RAS Octoner Public Talk - Prof Ian Crawford at 6pm
The Fermi Paradox — Where are the Aliens?
One of the most exciting discoveries in astronomy in recent decades has been the realisation that planets are common companions of stars. This raises an exciting possibility: that many of these planets could harbour life, and some could even be the home to advanced technological civilizations – perhaps far more advance than our own. However, we see no evidence for extraterrestrial technological civilisations, an apparent paradox famously articulated by the physicist Enrico Fermi in 1950. In this talk, we will explore attempted solutions to the Fermi Paradox and argue that, despite the vast number of planets, extraterrestrial technological civilisations are probably very rare, if not non-existent, in the Galaxy.
About our speaker
Ian Crawford is a Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology at Birkbeck, University of London. His research activities mostly lie in the fields of planetary science, especially lunar science and exploration, and astrobiology, the search for life in the Universe. He has long had an interest in the future of space exploration and is convinced that space exploration and development will prove to be of central importance for the future of. He is the author of over 200 peer-reviewed research papers in the fields of astronomy, humanity planetary science, astrobiology and space exploration. In 2021, Ian was awarded the Royal Astronomical Society's Service Award for Geophysics; the citation refers to his long-standing promotion of lunar science and human space exploration, his role as a mentor for young planetary scientists, and other contributions to the planetary science community.
