Life in the Solar System

Big Picture Science

Science, Technology

4.5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 January 2026

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Spewing lava and belching noxious fumes, volcanoes seem hostile to biology. But the search for life off-Earth includes the hunt for these hotheads on other moons and planets, and we tour some of the most imposing volcanoes in the Solar System. Plus, a look at how tectonic forces reshape bodies from the moon to Venus to Earth. And a journey to the center of our planet reveals a surprising layer of material at the core-mantle boundary. Find out where this layer was at the time of the dinosaurs and what powerful forces drove it deep below. Guests: Samantha Hansen – Geologist at the University of Alabama Paul Byrne – Associate professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis Robin George Andrews – Science journalist and author of “Super Volcanoes: What They Reveal about Earth and the Worlds Beyond” Originally aired May 29, 2023 Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast.
0:04.6	Olivia Culpo here to tell you all about the launch of the new Abercrombie Spring Denom collection, made the way denim should feel.
0:12.3	Their denim has always been a staple in my wardrobe and has a wide range of fits, styles, and washes.
0:17.7	Every jean is available in both their classic fit and viral curve love.
0:22.1	Shop in the app, online, and in stores.
0:29.1	Adobe Acrobat Studio so brand new.
0:35.1	Show me all the things that PDFs can do.
0:37.0	Do your work with ease and speed.
0:38.9	PDF spaces is all you need. Do hours of research in an instant. Key insights from an AI assistant.
0:44.6	Pick a template with a click. Now your Prezo looks super slick. Close that deal. Yeah, you won. Do that,
0:50.6	doing that, did that done. Now you can do that, do that with Acrobat.
0:55.9	Now you can do that, do that with an all-new acrobat.
0:59.4	It's time to do your best work with your new Adobe Acrobat Studio.
1:16.6	You'd think that this would be one of the last places you'd look for life.
1:25.6	After a four decades-long slumber, the world's largest active volcano is now spewing molten lava and raining ash near the very top of Hawaii's Big Island.
1:28.8	Spuing lava and belching, vanscious fumes, volcanoes seem implacably hostile to biology.
1:35.3	But the search for life off Earth includes the hunt for these hotheads on other moons and planets,
1:40.3	and that may seem contradictory.
1:42.3	So why do scientists say that these dramatic fissures in the Earth's crust and the tectonic
1:48.0	forces below produce more than dramatic geology, but are essential to our existence?
1:54.1	This is Big Picture Science, and I'm Seth Shostak.
1:57.2	I'm Molly Bentley.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Big Picture Science, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Big Picture Science and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.