We come to the end of our week of special coverage with a show about how we imagine extraterrestrial life. What do you picture when you picture extraterrestrial life? Is it like E.T.? Or little green men? Or an alien from Star Trek? This hour is all about how we imagine extraterrestrial life and how those visions are shaped by pop culture. GUESTS: Jaime Green: Freelance writer, editor, writing teacher, and the author of The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos Doug Jones: Actor known for his roles in Hellboy, The Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth, and more; he plays Saru in Star Trek: Discovery Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show. You can find all of our Astronaughty Week shows here. Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

If you follow the show, then you probably know that we’ve had a bogus ban on astronauts for quite some time now. In case you don’t follow the show, let me just explain at the top here that it’s been 2,220 days — more than six years — since an astronaut last appeared on The Colin McEnroe Show. But. The ban is over! We are astronautless no more! And so, this hour — and to celebrate Astronaughty Week — we bring you no fewer than THREE astronauts. We listen back to our (in)famous interviews with legends Buzz Aldrin and Scott Kelly. And then: a brand new interview with a real, live astronaut, former International Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield. The bogus ban is over! Don’t let Colin tell you any different! If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org. It’s free, confidential, and always available — in English and Spanish. GUESTS: Buzz Aldrin: A retired astronaut, engineer, and fighter pilot in the United States Air Force; he was the Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 11, and he was one of the first two humans to walk on the Moon; his 2016 book is No Dream Is Too High: Life Lessons from a Man Who Walked on the Moon Chris Hadfield: An engineer, musician, and a retired astronaut and fighter pilot in the Canadian Air Command; his new book, The Defector, is his second novel Scott Kelly: An engineer and a retired astronaut and aviator in the United States Navy; his 2017 book is Endurance: A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Betsy Kaplan, Josh Nilaya, Cat Pastor, Esther Shittu, Audrianna Smith, Evan Sobel, Ashley Taylor, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, parts of which originally aired in a different form May 24, 2016, and November 1, 2017.

Today, we continue our week of special coverage with a show focused on belief, and how we react when we experience things that we think should be impossible. A few years ago, Diana Walsh Pasulka published American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology, which looked at the mechanism of belief in extraterrestrial life, finding that this is becoming a new American religion. Now, she has a new book out, Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences, which looks at our experiences with non-human life forms, including UFOs, dreams, angels, and AI, and how these encounters challenge our assumptions about life. This hour, we talk with Diana Walsh Pasulka about her work. Plus, Yale Professor Carlos Eire joins us to talk about the history of the impossible, including discussions of levitation and bilocation, and how beliefs form. GUESTS:  Diana Walsh Pasulka: Professor of Religion at University of North Carolina, Wilmington, and author of American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology. Her new book is Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences. Carlos Eire: Professor of History and Religious Studies at Yale University. His new book is They Flew: A History of The Impossible.  You can find all of our Astronaughty Week shows here. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

Today, our week of discussions about life in the universe continues as we talk with two prominent astrophysicists about the possibility of life outside of earth. Astrophysicist Adam Frank is part of the team of scientists that is currently using the most advanced technology to search for life on other planets. This hour, we talk with Frank about that work, and what would happen if they find something. Plus, we'll talk with Neil deGrasse Tyson about the likelihood of life on other planets, and the variety of life here on earth. Neil deGrasse Tyson is presenting “Delusions of Space Enthusiasts” on December 1, 2023 at 8 p.m. at Foxwoods Resort and Casino.  GUESTS:  Adam Frank: Helen F. and Fred H. GowenProfessor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Rochester. He is the author of the new book The Little Book of Aliens Neil deGrasse Tyson: Astrophysicist, author, and science communicator. His newest book is To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery You can find all of our Astronaughty Week shows here. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

The United States has a long history of UFO sightings and reports, dating all the way back to the 1940s. This hour we talk about that history, and, specifically, how the U.S. government has related to these objects over time with Garrett Graff, author of the new book UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government’s Search for Alien Life Here — and Out There. GUEST:  Garrett Graff: Journalist and historian. His latest book is UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government’s Search for Alien Life Here — and Out There. His previous book, Watergate: A New History was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize.  You can find all of our Astronaughty Week shows here. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

This hour we get an update on the latest in the American conversation about the search for extraterrestrial life. This includes a conversation with journalist Leslie Kean, a check-in with the director of MUFON CT, and a discussion with astrophysicist Adam Frank about what we miss in space when we're focused on the objects we find here on earth.GUESTS:  Leslie Kean: Investigative journalist and author of UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record Michael Panicello: State Director of Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) Connecticut Chapter Adam Frank: The Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Rochester. He is the author of the forthcoming book The Little Book of Aliens Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

UFOs are in the news again. This hour we look at how a once fringe interest in UFOs became mainstream. We discuss why so many Americans believe in extraterrestrial life, how our relationship to UFOs have changed over time, and how the government and pop culture contribute to these beliefs. Finally, we learn about the frequency illusion, and what that can teach us about the prevalence of unidentified objects in the sky. GUESTS:  Greg Eghigian: Professor of History and Bioethics at Penn State Carly Leonard: Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Colorado Denver Diana Walsh Pasulka: Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion. She is the author of American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology Join the conversation onFacebook and Twitter.

Humans have long been interested in the possibility of extraterrestrial life. This hour, a look at why that interest has persisted. Plus, we talk to a scientist who is looking for extraterrestrial life and a linguist who is preparing in case we ever receive communications from extraterrestrials. GUESTS: Kate Dorsch: Historian, philosopher of science, and the associate director of the philosophy, politics, and economics program at the University of Pennsylvania Amanda Rees: Historian of science based at the University of York Seth Shostak: Senior astronomer at the SETI Institute and host of the radio show and podcast Big Picture Science Sheri Wells-Jensen: Associate professor of English and linguistics at Bowling Green State University and a member of the board of directors of METI International The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired June 2, 2022.

In 2017, The New York Times uncovered a program at the Defense Department which investigated unidentified flying objects. This year, the former chair of Harvard's astronomy department published a book arguing that we may recently have been "visited by advanced alien technology from a distant star." This week, The New Yorker has a long piece on changing attitudes and fading taboos around UFOs. What does this all mean? Does it matter that these acknowledgements are coming from The New York Times, The New Yorker... the astronomy department at Harvard? Could it be that the concept of UFOs has finally escaped the crackpot fringe? GUESTS: Leslie Kean - An investigative journalist and the author of UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record Avi Loeb - Former chair of the astronomy department at Harvard University and the author of Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond the Earth Mike Panicello - Mutual UFO Network CT state director Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Betsy Kaplan, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired June 6, 2019.

UFOs have been reported in America since the 1600s. And in all that time our government has largely dismissed the objects as being of Earthly origin. But this culture of dismissal in the U.S. is not indicative of how sightings are handled around the world. Some foreign governments readily discuss the possibility of extraterrestrials having visited Earth, and others go so far as to openly support the possibility. As reports of UFO sightings in America have skyrocketed since the 1940's, we ask why the phenomenon isn't given a more serious look. We'll examine some of the most compelling cases of all time and ask what it is about these unidentified objects that captivates the imaginations of so many. This hour we speak with believers and skeptics about UFO's. GUESTS: Peter Davenport - UFO lecturer, broadcaster and Director of The National UFO Reporting Center Leslie Kean - Investigative journalist and author of The New York Times bestselling  UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record and SurvivingDeath: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for an Afterlife George Noory - Weekday host of the late-night radio talk show Coast to Coast AM and creator of Paranormal Date, a dating site for paranormal enthusiasts Benjamin Radford - Deputy Editor of Skeptical Inquirer Magazine and author of Mysterious New Mexico: Miracles, Magic, and Monsters in the Land of Enchantment. You can join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.

From scientists to fiction writers, conspiracy theorists to theologians, aliens have captured the imagination of us all. But as we ponder the possibilities, let us pause to ask ourselves why. Why do these yet-to-be-found creatures from space occupy such a central role in the musings of so many? And should their existence be confirmed, what will it mean for us on Earth? While none can say for sure, there's certainly no shortage of ideas. From a peaceful first contact to doomsday scenarios of all sorts, the possibilities are endless. This hour, we speak with a scientist, a science fiction writer and a professor of theology about their thoughts on "E.T." GUESTS: Paul Davies - Regent Professor of physics at Arizona State University, where he directs the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science; author of The Fifth Miracle: The Search for the Origin and Meaning of Life Lee Billings - Editor at Scientific American and author of Five Billion Years of Solitude: The Search for Life Among the Stars Brian Trent - Award winning science fiction writer and lecturer from Waterbury, including for Analog, COSMOS, and Fantasy and Science Fiction; author of Rahotep Celia Deane-Drummond - Professor of Theology at Notre Dame University, and author of Wonder and Wisdom: Conversations in Science, Spirituality, and Theology MUSIC: “Two Little Men In A Flying Saucer”by Ella Fitzgerald “Starman” by David Bowie “Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft”by The Carpenters Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.