Flash Forward

This month’s episode is about what it would take to sterilize the Earth, and why you might want to figure that out in the first place.   First we talk to the authors of a paper that tries to figure out this exact question. David Sloan and Rafael Alves Batista are the authors of a paper called “The Resilience of Life to Astrophysical Events” (along with Avi Loeb). No, they’re not evil scientists, just interested in what it might take to find life on other planets.   They explain their calculations, and how we mostly don’t have anything to worry about. Plus, cool facts about tardigrades!  Then we talk to science-fiction author N.K. Jemisin who is the author of The Broken Earth trilogy. Which is very good! She explains her thinking behind the books, why the Earth is out to get her characters, and how humans banding together to survive is more interesting to her than the lone ranger making it on his own.   Further reading:  What Would It Take to Completely Sterilize the Earth? The Resilience of Life to Astrophysi