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.

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:
<ul>
<li>Kate Dorsch: Historian, philosopher of science, and the associate director of the philosophy, politics, and economics program at the University of Pennsylvania</li>
<li>Amanda Rees: Historian of science based at the University of York</li>
<li>Seth Shostak: Senior astronomer at the SETI Institute and host of the radio show and podcast <a href="http://radio.seti.org/">Big Picture Science</a></li>
<li>Sheri Wells-Jensen: Associate professor of English and linguistics at Bowling Green State University and a member of the board of directors of <a href="http://meti.org/">METI International</a></li>
</ul>
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p?si=89RJodkWRsOo1dck5BCdMA&amp;nd=1">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cub21ueWNvbnRlbnQuY29tL2QvcGxheWxpc3QvYWMwYmU5NjktZDdkZi00NjBjLWE2NmMtYTZmOTAwZTFlYmQxLzcxZGM0YTBmLWU4Y2EtNDAyMS1hZWM5LWFhMDMwMDI2MDQyZC9iNjk1Y2I4Ny1mNmE5LTRjNzYtOGYxMS1hYTAzMDAyNjA0M2IvcG9kY2FzdC5yc3M">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/show/colin-mcenroe-show-rsspodcast">Stitcher</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired June 2, 2022.

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

The Colin McEnroe Show

Over the past couple of years, here at The Colin McEnroe Show we've had a number of conversations about UFOs, space, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. You can find all of those shows here.

Over the past couple of years, here at The Colin McEnroe Show we've had a number of conversations about UFOs, space, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. You can find all of those shows here.

Our Continued Coverage of the Possibility of Extraterrestrial Life

What our search for extraterrestrial life can tell us about ourselves

On February 1, President Trump announced that The Kennedy Center would close for two years for “Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding” (capitalization sic). Washington Post art and architecture critic Philip Kennicott sees this as an existential threat to the Center.

And: New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman thinks everyone has been misunderstanding the Melania documentary from the get go. It’s less an actual movie, she says, and more the launch of the Melania luxury brand.

And finally: Don Glickman was a design professor. He had retired in the late 1990s, and he died last year at 94. And then some people started getting postcards from him — charming, amusing, perfectly Glickmanian postcards.

GUESTS:
Vanessa Friedman: Fashion director and chief fashion critic of The New York Times
Philip Kennicott: Senior art and architecture critic at The Washington Post
Sydney Page: Staff reporter at The Washington Post, where she writes for The Optimist

MUSIC FEATURED (in order):
Take Care of This House – Cynthia Erivo, Leonard Bernstein
ALT Take Care of This House – Frederica von Stade, Leonard Bernstein
Regrets – Ben Folds Five
Two Hearts on a Post Card – Vance Dolan
I Really Like You – Carly Rae Jepsen
I Got My Brand on You – Muddy Waters, Otis Spann

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

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 and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

On February 1, President Trump announced that The Kennedy Center would close for two years for &ldquo;Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding&rdquo; (capitalization sic). Washington Post art and architecture critic Philip Kennicott <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2026/02/02/trump-kennedy-center-shutdown/">sees this as an existential threat to the Center</a>.
And: New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman thinks everyone has been misunderstanding the Melania documentary from the get go. It&rsquo;s less an actual movie, she says, and more <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/style/melania-movie-brand.html">the launch of the Melania luxury brand</a>.
And finally: Don Glickman was a design professor. He had retired in the late 1990s, and he died last year at 94. And then some people started getting postcards from him &mdash; <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2026/02/07/postcard-death-teacher-glickman/">charming, amusing, perfectly Glickmanian postcards</a>.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Vanessa Friedman: Fashion director and chief fashion critic of The New York Times</li>
<li>Philip Kennicott: Senior art and architecture critic at The Washington Post</li>
<li>Sydney Page: Staff reporter at The Washington Post, where she writes for The Optimist</li>
</ul>
MUSIC FEATURED (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjZUGVi1Brw">Take Care of This House</a> &ndash; Cynthia Erivo, Leonard Bernstein</li>
<li>ALT <a href="https://youtu.be/Y-jfrpbQpgU?si=aCUZ0ipWY0xDz7KT&amp;t=946">Take Care of This House</a> &ndash; Frederica von Stade, Leonard Bernstein</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/Q8r87HsxULg">Regrets</a> &ndash; Ben Folds Five</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/h1jadPdJM88">Two Hearts on a Post Card</a> &ndash; Vance Dolan</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV5lzRHrGeg">I Really Like You</a> &ndash; Carly Rae Jepsen</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEUrVqImq6k">I Got My Brand on You</a> &ndash; Muddy Waters, Otis Spann</li>
</ul>
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

A look at the Kennedy Center, the Melania luxury brand, and more

Billboard

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls, calls about anything, everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one.

This hour, the conversation winds around to the rule of law, the Epstein files, the economy, the Green Bay Packers, Gilmore Girls … Anything. (Seemingly) everything.

MUSIC FEATURED (in order):
CAFé CON RON – Bad Bunny, Los Pleneros de la Cresta
The Obvious Child (Nashville) – I’m With Her
No More Lies – Thundercat, Tame Impala
Somethin’ Stupid – Norah Jones, Josh Homme
Patchwork – Charlotte Day Wilson
Cherry Tree – Lera Lynn
Whiiiplash – Brik.Liam CUT FOR TIME
Out Here – Gareth Donkin

We&rsquo;ve been doing these shows where we don&rsquo;t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls, calls about anything, everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one.
This hour, the conversation winds around to the rule of law, the Epstein files, the economy, the Green Bay Packers, Gilmore Girls &hellip; Anything. (Seemingly) everything.
MUSIC FEATURED (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk2GZWHV3o4">CAF&eacute; CON RON</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Bad Bunny, Los Pleneros de la Cresta</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8XFUoPQu6Y">The Obvious Child (Nashville)</a>&nbsp;&ndash; I&rsquo;m With Her</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoguePcf9P4">No More Lies</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Thundercat, Tame Impala</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-WIIOSXw18">Somethin&rsquo; Stupid</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Norah Jones, Josh Homme</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9X0_dZ4Jh8">Patchwork</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Charlotte Day Wilson</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=javjzk0i3Qk">Cherry Tree</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Lera Lynn</li>
<li><a href="https://tidal.com/album/486098438">Whiiiplash</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Brik.Liam&nbsp;CUT FOR TIME</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXMPCLquw3I">Out Here</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Gareth Donkin</li>
</ul>

All calls: The fleeting joy of waking up in the United States of Bunny

Whatever your politics, the last month or so has been … a lot.

This hour, The Nose looks at how we’re all using pop culture (or not) to deal with all the news — to cope, to escape, to process.

Plus, a look at how well (or not) our pop culture has been meeting the moment lately.

GUESTS:
RS Benedict: A writer and bureaucrat whose fiction and non-fiction has been published in the New Haven Review, Fangoria, Current Affairs, and a bunch of other places
Sam Hadelman: Director of public relations at Dark Matter Media
Rich Hollant: The founder and principal of CO:LAB, a hall of fame designer, and a co-partner at CENTER
Mercy Quaye: Founder and president of The Narrative Project
Lindsay Lee Wallace: A writer and journalist covering culture, health, technology, bats, and anything else people will answer her questions about
Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University

MUSIC FEATURED (in order):
Don't Let The Bastards Get You Down – Margo Price
How Much Did You Get for Your Soul – Lucinda Williams
Winter in America – Gil Scott-Heron
Let the Mystery Be – Iris Dement
The Olympics – Jesse Welles
See You On The Radio – Grayson Hugh

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

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 and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

Whatever your politics, the last month or so has been &hellip; a lot.
This hour, The Nose looks at how we&rsquo;re all using pop culture (or not) to deal with all the news &mdash; to cope, to escape, to process.
Plus, a look at how well (or not) our pop culture has been meeting the moment lately.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>RS Benedict: A writer and bureaucrat whose fiction and non-fiction has been published in the New Haven Review, Fangoria, Current Affairs, and a bunch of other places</li>
<li>Sam Hadelman: Director of public relations at Dark Matter Media</li>
<li>Rich Hollant: The founder and principal of CO:LAB, a hall of fame designer, and a co-partner at CENTER</li>
<li>Mercy Quaye: Founder and president of The Narrative Project</li>
<li>Lindsay Lee Wallace: A writer and journalist covering culture, health, technology, bats, and anything else people will answer her questions about</li>
<li>Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University</li>
</ul>
MUSIC FEATURED (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/uyhzsMWC4sw">Don't Let The Bastards Get You Down</a> &ndash; Margo Price</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGQptI_kbWk">How Much Did You Get for Your Soul</a> &ndash; Lucinda Williams</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjrxlU2H-jE">Winter in America</a> &ndash; Gil Scott-Heron</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlaoR5m4L80">Let the Mystery Be</a> &ndash; Iris Dement</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtaKoV-0lkQ">The Olympics</a> &ndash; Jesse Welles</li>
<li><a href="https://soundcloud.com/swampman-1/ill-see-you-on-the-radio">See You On The Radio</a> &ndash; Grayson Hugh</li>
</ul>
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

What our search for extraterrestrial life can tell us about ourselves

Our Continued Coverage of the Possibility of Extraterrestrial Life

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