On Episode 236 of This Week In Space, Tariq Malik and Rod Pyle are joined by Mikhail Tikhonov to talk about how life can take more unusual forms, ones we might not even recognize.
When we think of extraterrestrials, our minds generally go from the latex-suited bipedal aliens seen in Star Trek and Star Wars to more exotic critters in sci-fi movies. Scientists think in terms of carbon-based microbial life and other lower life forms.
But some researchers, such as Tikhonov from Washington University, suggest that life can take more unusual forms, ones we might not even recognize. He further suggests a new definition of life: something that takes in and transforms energy and replicates. His ideas radically expand our notions of alien life and how it might be recognized.
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