University of Glasgow chemist Lee Cronin and his collaborators have developed a new way to detect life. Their "assembly theory" could give us a reliable method for recognizing life or evidence of past life based on the complexity of molecules in any environment. The Planetary Society’s Rae Paoletta shares our favorite images of Saturn’s rings with Mat. Bruce Betts reveals which star takes up more of Earth’s night sky as he resolves another What’s Up space quiz.  Discover more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/lee-cronin-assembly-theory

University of Glasgow chemist Lee Cronin and his collaborators have developed a new way to detect life. Their "assembly theory" could give us a reliable method for recognizing life or evidence of past life based on the complexity of molecules in any environment. The Planetary Society&rsquo;s Rae Paoletta shares our favorite images of Saturn&rsquo;s rings with Mat. Bruce Betts reveals which star takes up more of Earth&rsquo;s night sky as he resolves another What&rsquo;s Up space quiz. &nbsp;Discover more at <a href="https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/lee-cronin-assembly-theory">https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/lee-cronin-assembly-theory</a>

Planetary Radio brings you the human adventure across our Solar System and beyond. We visit each week with the scientists, engineers, leaders, advocates, and astronauts who are taking us across the final frontier. Regular features raise your space IQ while they put a smile on your face. Join host Sarah Al-Ahmed and Planetary Society colleagues including Bill Nye the Science Guy and Bruce Betts as they dive deep into space science and exploration. The monthly Space Policy Edition takes you inside the DC beltway where the future of the US space program hangs in the balance. Visit planetary.org/radio for an episode guide and much more.

Planetary Radio brings you the human adventure across our Solar System and beyond. We visit each week with the scientists, engineers, leaders, advocates, and astronauts who are taking us across the final frontier. Regular features raise your space IQ while they put a smile on your face. Join host Sarah Al-Ahmed and Planetary Society colleagues including Bill Nye the Science Guy and Bruce Betts as they dive deep into space science and exploration. The monthly Space Policy Edition takes you inside the DC beltway where the future of the US space program hangs in the balance. Visit planetary.org/radio for an episode guide and much more.

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

Planetary Radio brings you the human adventure across our solar system and beyond. We visit each week with the scientists, engineers, leaders, advocates, and astronauts taking us across the final frontier. Regular features raise your space IQ while they put a smile on your face. Join host Sarah Al-Ahmed and Planetary Society colleagues including Bill Nye, the Science Guy, and Bruce Betts, chief scientist for The Planetary Society, as they dive deep into the latest space news. The monthly Space Policy Edition takes you inside the DC beltway with Casey Dreier and Jack Kiraly to discuss the politics of space exploration in the US and advocacy actions you can take to support the missions that matter. Visit planetary.org/radio for the space trivia contest, an episode guide, and much more.

Planetary Radio brings you the human adventure across our solar system and beyond. We visit each week with the scientists, engineers, leaders, advocates, and astronauts taking us across the final frontier. Regular features raise your space IQ while they put a smile on your face. Join host Sarah Al-Ahmed and Planetary Society colleagues including Bill Nye, the Science Guy, and Bruce Betts, chief scientist for The Planetary Society, as they dive deep into the latest space news. The monthly Space Policy Edition takes you inside the DC beltway with Casey Dreier and Jack Kiraly to discuss the politics of space exploration in the US and advocacy actions you can take to support the missions that matter. Visit planetary.org/radio for the space trivia contest, an episode guide, and much more.

University of Glasgow chemist Lee Cronin believes he and his collaborators have found a way to recognize life as we know it and as we don’t know it.

Finding Life by Looking for Complexity

The White House's Office of Management and Budget has released a sweeping 400-page proposed rule change that would fundamentally alter how the U.S. federal government manages grants, affecting everything from NASA research to biomedical science and community programs. In this episode, Casey Dreier is joined by Liz Ginexi, a former Program Officer at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, to break down what these changes would mean for American science. Among the most significant proposals: replacing merit-based peer review with partisan political review, allowing grants to be terminated at any time without justification, and restricting scientists' ability to publish their work and attend conferences. Together, Casey and Liz explain how a document dressed up in procedural language could centralize unprecedented control over U.S. scientific funding under a single White House office.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/political-control-over-scientific-grants

The White House's Office of Management and Budget has released a sweeping 400-page proposed rule change that would fundamentally alter how the U.S. federal government manages grants, affecting everything from NASA research to biomedical science and community programs. In this episode, Casey Dreier is joined by Liz Ginexi, a former Program Officer at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, to break down what these changes would mean for American science. Among the most significant proposals: replacing merit-based peer review with partisan political review, allowing grants to be terminated at any time without justification, and restricting scientists' ability to publish their work and attend conferences. Together, Casey and Liz explain how a document dressed up in procedural language could centralize unprecedented control over U.S. scientific funding under a single White House office.
Discover more at:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/political-control-over-scientific-grants">https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/political-control-over-scientific-grants</a>

Casey Dreier is joined by Liz Ginexi, a former Program Officer at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, to break down a 400-page proposed rule change from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget that could fundamentally reshape how the federal government manages scientific grants.

Space Policy Edition: A proposal to stifle American science

Colonel Eileen Collins was the first woman to pilot and command a Space Shuttle, and the person NASA trusted to lead the program back into space after the loss of Columbia. But her story is about so much more than the milestones.

In this episode, Sarah Al-Ahmed sits down with Eileen Collins to discuss “Spacewoman,” a new documentary written and directed by Hannah Berryman, based on Collins' book “Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission.” They talk about what drove her to keep pushing forward, the personal cost of pursuing an extraordinary career, and what it means to break barriers, not just for yourself, but for everyone who comes after you.

Then, Bruce Betts, our Chief Scientist, joins us for What's Up to explore what distinguished pilots and commanders from mission specialists in the space shuttle era, and why that distinction was so critical to Eileen's path to the commander's seat.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-spacewoman

Colonel Eileen Collins was the first woman to pilot and command a Space Shuttle, and the person NASA trusted to lead the program back into space after the loss of Columbia. But her story is about so much more than the milestones.
In this episode, Sarah Al-Ahmed sits down with Eileen Collins to discuss &ldquo;Spacewoman,&rdquo; a new documentary written and directed by Hannah Berryman, based on Collins' book &ldquo;Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission.&rdquo; They talk about what drove her to keep pushing forward, the personal cost of pursuing an extraordinary career, and what it means to break barriers, not just for yourself, but for everyone who comes after you.
Then, Bruce Betts, our Chief Scientist, joins us for What's Up to explore what distinguished pilots and commanders from mission specialists in the space shuttle era, and why that distinction was so critical to Eileen's path to the commander's seat.
Discover more at: <a href="https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-spacewoman">https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-spacewoman</a>

Colonel Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a Space Shuttle,  joins us to discuss “Spacewoman,” the new documentary telling the story of her extraordinary life and career.

Spacewoman with Eileen Collins

The Los Angeles Astronomical Society (LAAS) is one of the oldest and largest amateur astronomy clubs in the United States, and this year, it’s turning 100. To mark the occasion, the LAAS threw a centennial star party on the lawn of Griffith Observatory, featuring 100 telescopes, a dedication ceremony, and a community of passionate skywatchers who showed up rain and all.

In this episode, we sit down with Laura-May Abron, vice president of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society and chair of its Centennial Committee, to discuss what it took to put together the event. We drop into the centennial dedication ceremony to hear from LAAS President Keith Armstrong and Griffith Observatory Director Ed Krupp. We also spend time with some of the remarkable members who make this community what it is, including LAAS historian Louis Chilton, who has been a member for over 60 years, research scientist and LAAS member Bryce Bolin, self-taught optician and telescope builder Jeff Schroeder, and Geo Somoza, volunteer at The Planetary Society and one of the people who has dedicated his life to showing others the sky. Plus, Bruce Betts joins us for What's Up and a look at what you can spot in the night sky in June.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-laas-centennial 

The Los Angeles Astronomical Society (LAAS) is one of the oldest and largest amateur astronomy clubs in the United States, and this year, it&rsquo;s turning 100. To mark the occasion, the LAAS threw a centennial star party on the lawn of Griffith Observatory, featuring 100 telescopes, a dedication ceremony, and a community of passionate skywatchers who showed up rain and all.
In this episode, we sit down with Laura-May Abron, vice president of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society and chair of its Centennial Committee, to discuss what it took to put together the event. We drop into the centennial dedication ceremony to hear from LAAS President Keith Armstrong and Griffith Observatory Director Ed Krupp. We also spend time with some of the remarkable members who make this community what it is, including LAAS historian Louis Chilton, who has been a member for over 60 years, research scientist and LAAS member Bryce Bolin, self-taught optician and telescope builder Jeff Schroeder, and Geo Somoza, volunteer at The Planetary Society and one of the people who has dedicated his life to showing others the sky. Plus, Bruce Betts joins us for What's Up and a look at what you can spot in the night sky in June.
Discover more at: <a href="https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-laas-centennial">https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-laas-centennial</a>&nbsp;

The Los Angeles Astronomical Society is one of the oldest and largest amateur astronomy clubs in the United States, and this year it’s turning one hundred. We were there at Griffith Observatory for the centennial celebration to find out what keeps a community of skywatchers going for a century.

Finding Life by Looking for Complexity

In 1 playlist(s)

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips