Rethinking Life, Reality, and Our Place in the Cosmos
LOS ANGELES, March 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — For the first time in human history, the search for life beyond Earth is no longer imagination, but science. And as scientists discover distant worlds, they are confronting a deeper question: how much of what we call “life,” “normal,” or even “reality” is shaped by the assumptions we carry?
On Tuesday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. PT, Unlikely Collaborators will host Founding Director of the Carl Sagan Institute and Professor of Astronomy at Cornell, Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger for a Spark Salon titled:
Are We Alone in the Universe?
In this timely conversation, Dr. Kaltenegger will take attendees into the search for worlds beyond our own. As scientists explore distant planets orbiting other stars, they are not just gathering data; they are interpreting it.
- What counts as life?
- What makes a world “habitable?”
- How do we recognize something we’ve never seen before?
- And how might our own assumptions limit what we’re able to see?
The search for life beyond Earth does more than expand our understanding of the cosmos. It forces us to examine the assumptions we carry about what is normal, possible, and even what it means to be alive.
The evening will take place in person at Unlikely Collaborators’ Santa Monica headquarters and will also be livestreamed online. In-person attendees will receive a complimentary copy of Dr. Kaltenegger’s book Alien Earths: The New Science for Planet Hunting in the Cosmos.
Event Schedule
6:00 p.m. — Doors open and reception
7:00 p.m. — Program begins promptly
8:00 p.m. — Book signing and reception
Cost: Free (registration required)
About Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger
Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger is the Founding Director of the Carl Sagan Institute and Professor of Astronomy at Cornell. She is a pioneer and world-leading expert in modeling potential habitable worlds and their detectable spectral fingerprint. Kaltenegger served on the National Science Foundation’s Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC) and on NASA senior review of operating missions. She is a Science Team Member on NASA’s TESS Mission and the NIRISS instrument on James Webb Space Telescope. Kaltenegger was named one of America’s Young Innovators by Smithsonian Magazine and an Innovator to Watch by TIME. She appears in the IMAX 3D movie The Search for Life in Space and speaks frequently, including at Aspen Ideas Festival, TEDYouth, the World Science Festival, and the Kavli Foundation Lecture Series at the Adler Planetarium, which was live-streamed to six continents.
About Spark Salons
Spark Salons are a signature program of Unlikely Collaborators, the nonprofit founded by Elizabeth R. Koch. These gatherings bring together grantees, researchers, artists, and collaborators for conversations that challenge perspectives and deepen connections. Past Spark Salon speakers have included illusionist Harris III, psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD, nutrition therapist Kim Shapira, MS, RD, mythologist John Bucher, Harvard Business School professor and author Michael Norton, PhD, visionary violinist Vijay Gupta, chef and entrepreneur Ellen Bennett, artist Candy Chang, digital workplace expert and author Alexandra Samuel, PhD, grief experts Brennan Wood and Dr. Donna L. Schuurman, and neuroscientist, best-selling author Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD, and world-renowned neuroscientist, author, NYU Dean Wendy Suzuki, PhD., futures designer and author Nick Foster, RDI, and sleep psychologist Jade Wu, PhD.
Watch the Spark Salons Trailer
About Unlikely Collaborators
Unlikely Collaborators is a nonprofit dedicated to helping people see themselves and the world more clearly. Founded by Elizabeth R. Koch, the organization is built on the Perception Box™ framework which is the understanding that our experiences, beliefs, fears, and physiology shape the lens through which we interpret reality. By becoming aware of that lens, we create more space for reflection, flexibility, and meaningful change.
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