Dr. Livio explains how developments in astronomy have altered our sense of human uniqueness. He describes the “Copernican Principle” that suggests that we humans are not especially unique. And scientific discoveries, including evolution, other planets and galaxies, have led to the expectation of other intelligent life in the universe –and indeed, even the notion of multiple universes. But scientists have also discovered that the conditions necessary for complex life may be rare. Here, we learn what we might expect.
Mario Livio was an internationally recognized astrophysicist at the Hubble Space Telescope for more than two decades. With more than 500 scientific articles, he has made significant theoretical contributions to topics ranging from cosmology, supernova explosions, and black holes to extrasolar planets and the emergence of life in the universe. He has received numerous awards for his research. Dr. Livio is also the author of seven popular science books. His bestselling book _The Golden Ratio_ won the Peano Prize in 2003 and the International Pythagoras Prize in 2004, as the best popular book on mathematics. His book _Is God A Mathematician?_ inspired the NOVA program “_The Great Math Mystery_,” which was nominated for an EMMY in 2016. His book _Brilliant Blunders_ was selected by The Washington Post as one of the Notable Books of 2013. His book _Galileo and the Science Deniers_ (2020) was one of the finalists for the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science. Dr. Livio appears frequently in the media, including “The Daily Show,” “60 Minutes,” and multiple NOVA programs, as well as numerous radio programs such as “_Science Friday_,” “_All Things Considered_,” “_On Being_”, and “_Studio 360_."