Dr Lewis Dartnell is fascinated by life. Life on earth, and the possibility of life elsewhere in the solar system and among the stars.

Is there life out there....? (Photo NASA)
This audio podcast is an extended version of a short piece made for Imperial College radio earlier this month. It covers a whole range of topics: from Dartnell’s core research interest in Martian radiation, to the recently launched Kepler programme, to a more speculative look at possible earth asteroid strikes and how conditions on other worlds might inform the maintenance of our own planet.
I’m not overjoyed with the technical quality of this recording (which is probably why I’ve sat on it for a month), but I think it’s such an interesting and fun interview that it needs an airing anyhow.
Press the arrow key to stream live, or use the ‘download’ button to save the file.
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Since the mid 1980s, I've worked in university and industrial research, as a manager and editor in technology and environment for an international NGO, and held senior business development, strategy, and procurement posts in industry. I hold a PhD in chemical engineering from Birmingham University, an MBA from Warwick University Business School, and an MSc in Science Communication from Imperial College. In 2008, I left industry to focus full-time on my passion for science and technology, and to share that enthusiasm with others as a freelance science communicator. I live in London with my American wife Erin.

