Have you ever wondered if there’s a Galactic Empire out there? How long would it take a space faring civilization to colonize the entire galaxy? Remarkably even traveling at sub-light speeds this should be possible within a fraction of our galaxy’s lifetime. Which raises the question - why hasn’t this happened yet? Today we dive into the repercussions of “Fact A” - the simple observation that Earth has not been colonized by an alien civilization. I sit down with Prof. Jason Wright who has recently co-authored a new paper that provides the most sophisticated treatment to date of this problem, and what it means for our place in the Universe. Interview with Prof. Jason Wright. Presented & Written by Prof. David Kipping. You can now support our research program and the Cool Worlds Lab at Columbia University: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support References: ► Carroll-Nellenback, J., Frank, A., Wright, J. & Scharf, C., 2019, "The Fermi Paradox and the Aurora Effect: Exo-civilization Settlement, Expansion, and Steady States", ApJ, 158, 117: https://arxiv.org/abs/1902.04450 ► Hart, M., 1975, "Explanation for the Absence of Extraterrestrials on Earth", Quart. J. RAS, 16, 128: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1975QJRAS..16..128H/abstract Video materials and graphics used: ► Opening Galaxy shot by Bridge Head Productions: https://tinyurl.com/uk774j7 ► Abiogenesis animation by TheOriginOfLife https://youtu.be/j_flx26bU0Q ► Exoplanet animations ESO/M. Kornmesser: https://www.eso.org/public/videos/barnard-surface2b-v2-cc1/ & https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso0915e/ ► Galaxy zoom by Emilio Music Productions: https://youtu.be/AjRy6M1LJW8 ► Microbiology footage from Nokia Small World in Motion Competitions: https://youtu.be/lQLsyf64xak, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLftNakbifg, https://youtu.be/ZquzlvEEZq8, https://youtu.be/jOur9xoK4bE ► Sunset video by kagnet: https://youtu.be/JoyUUokcX5g ► Cave painting from Cave Art 101, National Geographic: https://y