This Week in Space (Audio) TWiS 206: I Want to Believe - When We Meet the Aliens
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Apr 17, 2026 Brianne Suldovsky, an associate professor studying public communication about extraterrestrial life, joins to explore how we might announce a discovery. She discusses preparing clear, trustworthy messaging, the role of religion and conspiracy beliefs, and challenges posed by private companies, social media, and AI. The conversation raises ethical, timing, and public-engagement questions about contact.
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Search For Life Communication Is Underresearched
- Public communication about the search for life in space has been understudied because researchers focused on timely issues and practitioners (NASA communicators) are disconnected from social scientists.
- Brianne Suldovsky joined a NASA working group and found little prior science-communication research on astrobiology, prompting her original studies.
From Young Earth Creationist To Science Communicator
- Brianne recounts being raised a young-earth creationist where science was framed as an enemy and fossils were called satanic deceptions.
- Reading the philosophy book Sophie's World in high school destabilized her worldview and led her to study philosophy and communication.
Label Findings With Simple Confidence Scales
- Use extremely clear language and avoid assuming the public understands scientific qualifiers like "consistent with" or "potential evidence."
- Brianne recommends a confidence scale (e.g., 1–10) to convey how strongly data indicate life versus tentative signals.
