What are the odds we're not alone in the universe?
Short Wave

What are the odds we're not alone in the universe?

B2Upper-intermediateOctober 20, 202614 min
  • Science

There are hundreds of billions of stars in the galaxy we live in. Many of them have their own exoplanets. So why haven’t we found proof of alien life yet? And what’s the probability of us contacting or being contacted anyway? That’s exactly what a famous math formula called the Drake Equation tries to answer. It takes into account a whole variety of factors, including the rate at which stars like the Sun are born, how many of those stars have planets, how many of those planets are hospitable to life and the likelihood of intelligent life on tha...

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Droves of expats are flying back to cast ballots.

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B2 · Upper-intermediate

Comfortable if you already follow TV news

A1 40%A2 32%B1 17%B2 8%C1 3%
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  • 187 words a minute: natural, fairly fast speech.
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0:00

Three years after October 7 and the start of the war in Gaza, Israelis have a chance to elect a new leader. Droves of expats are flying back to cast ballots. The existence of Israel is at stake here. If I came all the way from America, you could go downstairs and vote.

0:15

This week on The Sunday Story, what Israelis want for the future, listen now to the Sunday Story from the UpFirst podcast on the NPR app. Hey, it's Gina, your friendly neighborhood astrophysicist, here with a request. Do you have a friend who loves space? If you do, can you share this episode with them?

0:34

It'll help us grow the shortwave community so that we can all space out together. You're listening to Shortwave from NPR. The universe is so vast.

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