We're looking for life on other planets. Are we ready to find it?

In 1960, astronomer Frank Drake listened for signals from alien worlds. Reporter Brendan Byrne's podcast When We Find Them picks up the search and asks what would happen if we finally find something. NPR Science LISTEN & FOLLOW NPR App Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music iHeart Radio RSS link Science We're looking for life on other planets. Are we ready to find it? September 27, 20265:14 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered By  Debbie Elliott ,  Janaya Williams ,  Daniel Ofman We're looking for life on other planets. Are we ready to find it? Listen · Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www. npr. org/player/embed/nx-s1-5967513/nx-s1-9942310" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript In 1960, astronomer Frank Drake listened for signals from alien worlds. Reporter Brendan Byrne's podcast When We Find Them picks up the search and asks what would happen if we finally find something. Transcript DEBBIE ELLIOTT, HOST: For centuries, people have looked up at the sky and wondered if there's anyone else out there. For Frank Drake, that question started when he was a little boy, listening to his father talk about other worlds. His daughter, science journalist Nadia Drake, tells the story.(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR CONTENT)NADIA DRAKE: He started to wonder, did those places really exist? And if so, could he find them? And could we maybe actually communicate with whomever lived there? ELLIOTT: Frank Drake grew up to be an astronomer and became the first person to go on a modern search for extraterrestrial life. Brendan Byrne covers space for Central Florida Public Media. His new podcast, When We Find Them, follows the search for life on other planets and asks the question we may not be prepared for - what happens if we find it? Thanks for having me, Debbie. ELLIOTT: I want to know, right out of the gate, how you got into this. Is this something that you've always been fascinated with? What gave you the idea for a podcast about the search for life in outer space? BYRNE: Debbie, I've been covering space for more than 10 years and interviewing lots and lots of people who are on the search for life, and I learned that we're getting really, really close. And so as a journalist, I was like, boy, if that happens when I'm still working, how would I ever cover such an event like that?