Wednesday, May 6, 2009

SETI Institute YouTube Channel

SETI Institute YouTube Channel is now live at http://www.youtube.com/setiinstitute

Our most recent lecture videos are now available at SETI Institute's YouTube Channel.

You can subscribe to lecture videos via YouTube or follow me on twitter to get the scoop on video uploads.

Monday, May 4, 2009

04/29/2009 - Experimental determination of the effect of salts, regolith, and wind on the stability of water under Martian conditions

Julie Chittenden

Many fundamental processes on Mars require an understanding of the temperature and pressure conditions at the Martian surface. In particular, the stability of liquid water is a key factor in formation of gully features, and is significant to the possibly for life on Mars. Dr. Chittenden will discuss her experimental work on the stability of water under martian conditions, performed at the University of Arkansas in the Mars planetary simulation chamber. Her results suggests concentrated brine water may remain liquid on the Martian surface longer than previously thought. She will also report the effect of a regolith layer on subsurface ice sublimation and the effect of wind on the stability of surface water ice on Mars.

watch video ( at the SETI Institute Channel from YouTube )

4/22/2009 - First Things in the Universe

Tom Abel, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology Laboratory, Stanford University

The first structure to form in the Universe can now be predicted from ab initio simulations starting with the known initial conditions of our Universe. What is found is a rich history with massive stars, black holes, UV radiation, and hydrogen molecules among others playing significant roles. Using supercomputer simulations allows us to visually show the origin of the first stars, their demise and impact on their future, which is our past, in the Universe' first billion years.

play video