Professor Nathan Mayne | Life Beyond Earth

19/10/2025 44 min
Professor Nathan Mayne | Life Beyond Earth

Listen "Professor Nathan Mayne | Life Beyond Earth"

Episode Synopsis

For centuries, the idea of life beyond Earth has fascinated scientists, storytellers, and curious minds alike. We know that, within our solar system, all life needs water and a stable planetary atmosphere – but what about exoplanets in galaxies far, far away?

As the search for evidence of extra-terrestrial life has entered a new era and is moving rapidly, Professor Nathan Mayne from the University of Exeter is inviting you to join a discussion that will explore distant planets. We look at human efforts to uncover those planets presenting with the conditions of sustaining other life forms. Do they meet our preconceptions and expectations? And ultimately, can they help us answer the mind-boggling question: Is it only us out here?


This event is part of an event series on exoplanets and outer space. The second event will be Could There Be a Planet B? in November.


NATHAN MAYNE
Physics and Astronomy Department
University of Exeter

Nathan Mayne works in the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Exeter. There, he is a Professor of Astrophysics and Planetary Climates in the Astrophysics Group, researching the climate of Earth, our solar system, and exoplanets. Nathan is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, the Academic Director of Research Computing Infrastructure for the University of Exeter, and one of our trustees!