What Is Life? #4: How Did Life Begin?

“What Is Life?” is an eight-episode podcast series recorded in front of a live audience. (Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes, via RSS, etc.)

In this episode, I spoke to astrobiologist Caleb Scharf, the director of the Columbia Astrobiology Center at Columbia University, about how life began. We don’t know how life got its start, but Scharf argues that emerging evidence leaves only a few theories as leading contenders.

If you enjoyed this episode, listen to Episode 5 or check out all eight episodes on the main podcast page. And please spread the word however you can, such as reviewing it on Apple and elsewhere!

Update: If you’d like to learn more about scientists exploring the borderlands between the living and nonliving worlds, check out my new book Life’s Edge: The Search For What It Means To Be Alive.

What Is Life? was recorded in front of a live audience at Caveat in New York and is supported by a grant from Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation initiative. Artwork by Caryn Audenried.