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The Infinite Monkey Cage

Extraterrestrial Life

The Infinite Monkey Cage

BBC

Comedy, Science

4.79.4K Ratings

🗓️ 7 December 2009

⏱️ 25 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Series in which physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince take a witty, irreverent and unashamedly rational look at the world according to science.

Robin and Brian are joined by alien abduction expert Jon Ronson and Seth Shostack from the SETI Institute in California to discuss science conspiracies, UFOs and the search for ET.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Thank you for downloading this program from BBC Radio 4. For more information visit

0:06.0

bbc.co.uk slash radio 4.

0:10.0

Welcome to the Infinite Monkey Cage, the show that mixes science and rationality,

0:14.0

although it may meander a bit. I'm Brian Cox and I understand the pomeran.

0:19.0

Well, I'm Robyn Ants and I'm sometimes, in fact, frequently confused

0:22.0

by the gender-swapping nature of the Slipper Limpit.

0:25.0

Coming up on the Infinite Monkey Cage this week, we'll be discussing the possibility

0:28.0

of intelligent life beyond our solar system, the search for signals from alien

0:33.0

civilizations and will be imagining what they might make of us.

0:37.0

And if they decide to pay us a visit, how would they get here?

0:41.0

It was triangular in shape, a fairly bright, luminous grey green,

0:48.0

and one of the oddest things about what we saw was the way this object,

0:55.0

whatever it was, was following our flight absolutely perfectly,

1:01.0

as if it were flying in formation.

1:04.0

The truth behind UFO's alien visitations and some other great conspiracy theories.

1:10.0

Helping us separate the science fact from the science fiction, we've got two

1:13.0

extra primates inside the monkey cage today, Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer

1:17.0

with the Seti Institute in California, whose job is to search for intelligent life

1:21.0

beyond our planet, and a filmmaker and author, who has made his reputation

1:25.0

covering some of the more peculiar beliefs out there.

1:27.0

From examining David Ike's obsession with lizards ruling the world,

1:30.0

to looking at alien abductions with Robbie Williams, the US Army's attempts

...

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