Graham Lau
@cosmobiologist.bsky.social
Astrobiologist, communicator of science, orator, musician, meditation guide, fan of sci-fi, singer of forgotten songs.
Some brief Friday Meanderings on misinformation and AI panspermia, the nature of time and our perception of it, as well as addressing the claimed anomalies about 3I/ATLAS
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/ai-pansper...
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/ai-pansper...
AI Panspermia, the Nature of Time, and the "Anomalies" of 3I/ATLAS
Friday Meanderings on seeding life, exploring time, and the behaviors of an interstellar comet
cosmobiota.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Some brief Friday Meanderings on misinformation and AI panspermia, the nature of time and our perception of it, as well as addressing the claimed anomalies about 3I/ATLAS
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/ai-pansper...
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/ai-pansper...
I’m stoked to join in for a panel on space science at the Space Education Summit today. Lots of cool talks throughout the day from some incredible people in realms of space exploration and the space industry!
spaceeducation.squarespace.com/schedule
spaceeducation.squarespace.com/schedule
Schedule — Space Education Events
spaceeducation.squarespace.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:01 PM
I’m stoked to join in for a panel on space science at the Space Education Summit today. Lots of cool talks throughout the day from some incredible people in realms of space exploration and the space industry!
spaceeducation.squarespace.com/schedule
spaceeducation.squarespace.com/schedule
If biospheres on alien worlds develop predation as a form of symbiosis, I have to wonder what similarities and differences there may be to life as we know it.
November 12, 2025 at 4:52 PM
If biospheres on alien worlds develop predation as a form of symbiosis, I have to wonder what similarities and differences there may be to life as we know it.
Our newest article on SAGANet from Catherine Maggiori is an exploration of the new paper out by Nozair Khawaja and team on the analysis of ejected ice grains from Enceladus.
www.saganet.org/articles/cas...
www.saganet.org/articles/cas...
Cassini data reveals new information on Enceladus’ ice grain composition — SAGANet
In this article, we talk about new interpretations of Cassini data, revealing that freshly ejected Enceladus ice grains contain a variety of organic compounds.
www.saganet.org
November 11, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Our newest article on SAGANet from Catherine Maggiori is an exploration of the new paper out by Nozair Khawaja and team on the analysis of ejected ice grains from Enceladus.
www.saganet.org/articles/cas...
www.saganet.org/articles/cas...
Language may be humanity’s oldest technology, and, as Mark Pagel argued in 2011, language may have developed to solve a crisis of visual theft. But would alien civilizations have any form of language similar to our own?
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/language-a...
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/language-a...
Language as a Transformative Technology and Talking to Aliens
Mark Pagel's 2011 TED talk, language as a technology, and how different alien languages may be
cosmobiota.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Language may be humanity’s oldest technology, and, as Mark Pagel argued in 2011, language may have developed to solve a crisis of visual theft. But would alien civilizations have any form of language similar to our own?
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/language-a...
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/language-a...
Reposted by Graham Lau
Reposting to correct an error: trump admin is quietly gutting 13 buildings and about 100 laboratories at Goddard campus that has been instrumental to Hubble and James Webb telescope missions. Staff say they’ve be locked and told to move equipment. Anything left behind will be thrown away.
NASA may be quietly gutting an iconic campus with what it calls strategic closures, workers fear
(CNN) — Alarm is growing among federal workers at NASA’s iconic Goddard Space Flight Center’s main campus in Greenbelt, Maryland — the nerve center for groundbreaking missions like the Hubble
www.wkow.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Reposting to correct an error: trump admin is quietly gutting 13 buildings and about 100 laboratories at Goddard campus that has been instrumental to Hubble and James Webb telescope missions. Staff say they’ve be locked and told to move equipment. Anything left behind will be thrown away.
Yesterday marked 25 years of continuous human presence in space.
Since 2 November of 2000, there’s always been some number of people living and working in space on the ISS or Tiangong or traveling back and forth from orbit on various spacecraft.
Since 2 November of 2000, there’s always been some number of people living and working in space on the ISS or Tiangong or traveling back and forth from orbit on various spacecraft.
November 3, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Yesterday marked 25 years of continuous human presence in space.
Since 2 November of 2000, there’s always been some number of people living and working in space on the ISS or Tiangong or traveling back and forth from orbit on various spacecraft.
Since 2 November of 2000, there’s always been some number of people living and working in space on the ISS or Tiangong or traveling back and forth from orbit on various spacecraft.
We too often think of aliens as being either microbial or animal like, but given the overwhelming breadth and sheer amount of plant life on Earth it makes more sense to wonder if aliens might have more in common with the plant life of our planet.
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/the-alien-...
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/the-alien-...
The Alien World of Plants
Plants on Earth do some wild things and give us reason to wonder what alien plant-like life might be like
cosmobiota.substack.com
November 1, 2025 at 5:16 PM
We too often think of aliens as being either microbial or animal like, but given the overwhelming breadth and sheer amount of plant life on Earth it makes more sense to wonder if aliens might have more in common with the plant life of our planet.
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/the-alien-...
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/the-alien-...
Music, art, writing, poetry. Create. People share your feelings. They might not feel what you felt in the creation, but when you share yourself through creation it opens a path for someone else to connect with your creation and to feel it. Your voice is our voice, and we all want to speak together.
November 1, 2025 at 3:41 AM
Music, art, writing, poetry. Create. People share your feelings. They might not feel what you felt in the creation, but when you share yourself through creation it opens a path for someone else to connect with your creation and to feel it. Your voice is our voice, and we all want to speak together.
Some random thoughts on 3I/ATLAS, Halloween, and definitions of life for the weekend.
open.substack.com/pub/cosmobio...
open.substack.com/pub/cosmobio...
3I/ATLAS, Halloween, and the Meaning of “Life”
Time for something a little groovy, baby
open.substack.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Some random thoughts on 3I/ATLAS, Halloween, and definitions of life for the weekend.
open.substack.com/pub/cosmobio...
open.substack.com/pub/cosmobio...
Definitely been going all-in on Substack and Notes lately. Finally finding some place that feels like it’s better than what Twitter used to be. Hit me up if you’re over there as well!
substack.com/@cosmobiolog...
substack.com/@cosmobiolog...
Graham Lau | Substack
Dr. Graham Lau is an astrobiologist and communicator of science. He serves as the Director of Communications and Marketing for Blue Marble Space and as the Host of the NASA-funded show “Ask an Astrobi...
substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Definitely been going all-in on Substack and Notes lately. Finally finding some place that feels like it’s better than what Twitter used to be. Hit me up if you’re over there as well!
substack.com/@cosmobiolog...
substack.com/@cosmobiolog...
Fun reminder that if a malevolent alien force really wanted to invade the Earth, it is highly unlikely that could survive (no matter where you live).
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/friday-mea...
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/friday-mea...
Friday Meanderings: Could You Survive an Alien Invasion?
Is it really even possible to survive if an advanced alien race comes to Earth bent on destruction? Yeah, probably not.
cosmobiota.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Fun reminder that if a malevolent alien force really wanted to invade the Earth, it is highly unlikely that could survive (no matter where you live).
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/friday-mea...
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/friday-mea...
It’s soon going to be 18 years since my first analog astronaut mission at the Mars Desert Research Station! Here’s a video one of our crew members made back in 2012 using video he recorded during our mission.
vimeo.com/locomomo/liv...
vimeo.com/locomomo/liv...
Living on Earth on Mars on Earth
"Living on Earth on Mars on Earth" documents a 2-week crew rotation on Mars. Footage of EVAs and daily life is interwoven with interviews of science fiction…
vimeo.com
October 28, 2025 at 6:18 PM
It’s soon going to be 18 years since my first analog astronaut mission at the Mars Desert Research Station! Here’s a video one of our crew members made back in 2012 using video he recorded during our mission.
vimeo.com/locomomo/liv...
vimeo.com/locomomo/liv...
The process of writing on Substack has really shown me how far some of my little notes and ideas I've had over the years can go when I simply start typing and stop worrying about being perfect.
October 27, 2025 at 7:47 PM
The process of writing on Substack has really shown me how far some of my little notes and ideas I've had over the years can go when I simply start typing and stop worrying about being perfect.
The shutdown means we can’t have an episode of Ask an Astrobiologist this month, but we can still celebrate the 24 year history of the show thus far!
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/stay-curio...
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/stay-curio...
Stay Curious: The Story of Ask an Astrobiologist
24 years of endeavors to connect people with expertise in astrobiology through NASA
cosmobiota.substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:47 PM
The shutdown means we can’t have an episode of Ask an Astrobiologist this month, but we can still celebrate the 24 year history of the show thus far!
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/stay-curio...
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/stay-curio...
Alien worlds may be like books in a universal library, each holding their own languages and ideas and stories of biological and technological development.
Some worlds may spread and become multi-planetary, making for a series of “books” about their worlds.
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/the-librar...
Some worlds may spread and become multi-planetary, making for a series of “books” about their worlds.
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/the-librar...
The Library of Alien Dreams
Libraries hold our collective knowledge and imaginings, but also serve as a good analogy in the search for alien life and our understanding of the cosmos
cosmobiota.substack.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Alien worlds may be like books in a universal library, each holding their own languages and ideas and stories of biological and technological development.
Some worlds may spread and become multi-planetary, making for a series of “books” about their worlds.
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/the-librar...
Some worlds may spread and become multi-planetary, making for a series of “books” about their worlds.
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/the-librar...
Many thanks to all who've subscribed to my weekly newsletter (and occasional "Friday Meanderings"). It's been so much fun to share these ideas and get them all down in writing after years and years of building up notes and writing so much.
cosmobiota.substack.com
cosmobiota.substack.com
The Cosmobiologist | Graham Lau | Substack
Meditations on life, the universe, and (mostly) everything. Click to read The Cosmobiologist, by Graham Lau, a Substack publication.
cosmobiota.substack.com
October 22, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Many thanks to all who've subscribed to my weekly newsletter (and occasional "Friday Meanderings"). It's been so much fun to share these ideas and get them all down in writing after years and years of building up notes and writing so much.
cosmobiota.substack.com
cosmobiota.substack.com
One more day to submit abstracts for the IAU symposium on Advancing the Search for Technosignatures.
The meeting will take place 206 March of 2026. Submit your abstracts now!
iaus404.bmsis.org
The meeting will take place 206 March of 2026. Submit your abstracts now!
iaus404.bmsis.org
IAUS 404: Advancing the Search for Technosignatures
Abstract deadline: 17 October 2025
iaus404.bmsis.org
October 16, 2025 at 4:30 PM
One more day to submit abstracts for the IAU symposium on Advancing the Search for Technosignatures.
The meeting will take place 206 March of 2026. Submit your abstracts now!
iaus404.bmsis.org
The meeting will take place 206 March of 2026. Submit your abstracts now!
iaus404.bmsis.org
"In my experience, each failure contains the seeds of your next success—if you are willing to learn from it."
- Paul Allen
- Paul Allen
October 15, 2025 at 3:00 PM
"In my experience, each failure contains the seeds of your next success—if you are willing to learn from it."
- Paul Allen
- Paul Allen
Should we continue sending humans into space? What will our future look like if we develop settlements on the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere? What are the ethical realities of space exploration?
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/the-ethics...
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/the-ethics...
The Ethics of Space Settlement
Navigating Questions and Concerns in Humanity's Expansion Beyond Earth
cosmobiota.substack.com
October 13, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Should we continue sending humans into space? What will our future look like if we develop settlements on the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere? What are the ethical realities of space exploration?
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/the-ethics...
cosmobiota.substack.com/p/the-ethics...
Our article, led by Anamaria Berea, on the connections between studies in space settlement and astrobiology is now out in the journal Space Policy.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com
October 11, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Our article, led by Anamaria Berea, on the connections between studies in space settlement and astrobiology is now out in the journal Space Policy.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
I like to sing the antithesis to TLC when using my face scrub, because when it comes to cleaning off the ol’ flesh wrapper for my skull I actually do want some scrubs.
October 9, 2025 at 7:58 PM
I like to sing the antithesis to TLC when using my face scrub, because when it comes to cleaning off the ol’ flesh wrapper for my skull I actually do want some scrubs.
Our future could be one of self-destruction or sustainable growth. It could be one of isolation or exploring and settling elsewhere.
We have choices to make collectively, but we lose our power when we allow systems of wealth inequality to control our civilization.
We have choices to make collectively, but we lose our power when we allow systems of wealth inequality to control our civilization.
October 6, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Our future could be one of self-destruction or sustainable growth. It could be one of isolation or exploring and settling elsewhere.
We have choices to make collectively, but we lose our power when we allow systems of wealth inequality to control our civilization.
We have choices to make collectively, but we lose our power when we allow systems of wealth inequality to control our civilization.
Trying something new this week at The Cosmobiologist. A little smattering from my writing notes over the last few months.
open.substack.com/pub/cosmobio...
open.substack.com/pub/cosmobio...
Cosmobiota: Being Something That Wonders
A Variety Show of The Cosmobiologist
open.substack.com
October 6, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Trying something new this week at The Cosmobiologist. A little smattering from my writing notes over the last few months.
open.substack.com/pub/cosmobio...
open.substack.com/pub/cosmobio...
Off to the New Zealand Air Force Museum where Hari Mogoșanu will interview 6-time space mission veteran, Michael López-Alegría.
October 6, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Off to the New Zealand Air Force Museum where Hari Mogoșanu will interview 6-time space mission veteran, Michael López-Alegría.