Podcast UFO - Mixed Signals📡 : Rebecca Charbonneau on Cold War Science, the Hunt for Aliens

In this episode, we sit down with historian Rebecca Charbonneau to explore her fascinating new book, Mixed Signals. At the height of the Cold War, amidst nuclear brinkmanship and deep political divides, an unlikely collaboration emerged between the United States and the Soviet Union in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Rebecca dives into the extraordinary partnership between Ukrainian astrophysicist Iosif Shklovsky and American astronomer Carl Sagan, whose groundbreaking work in radio astronomy brought the hunt for alien signals into the scientific mainstream. From bizarre experiments—like sending the sound of ballerinas’ movements into space—to navigating the political tightrope of Cold War diplomacy, this story is as thrilling as it is thought-provoking.
Join us as Rebecca unpacks how the search for alien life not only opened up new frontiers in science but also fostered a unique philosophy of international collaboration, proving that even amidst earthly tensions, humanity could unite in its curiosity about the cosmos.
BIO: Rebecca Charbonneau is a historian at the American Institute of Physics, as well as an affiliate of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and the St. Andrews SETI Post-Detection Hub. She holds an MSc in the history of science, medicine, and technology from the University of Oxford and a PhD in the history and philosophy of science from the University of Cambridge. Rebecca lives in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area with her husband, Jim, and their cat, Sputnik.
🔭 Order Rebecca Charbonneau’s book, Mixed Signals: https://www.amazon.com/Mixed-Signals-Communication-Across-Curtain/dp/1509556915
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