Caleb Scharf
@calebscharf.bsky.social
Thinker, writer, sometimes both at the same time. Senior Scientist for Astrobiology at NASA Ames. Personal account, anything expressed here is my fault alone.
Pinned
AI/ML Seminar Series - Agentic AI Workflows - 9/17/26
YouTube video by AI-ML Astrobiology
www.youtube.com
Our latest seminar video on scientific AI/ML is out! An amazing talk by Dr Eric Wolf on his adoption of agentic workflows for exoplanetary climate modeling research. Parts technical, parts philosophical, and parts personal. An essential resource... www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRYt...
Our latest seminar video on scientific AI/ML is out! An amazing talk by Dr Eric Wolf on his adoption of agentic workflows for exoplanetary climate modeling research. Parts technical, parts philosophical, and parts personal. An essential resource... www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRYt...
AI/ML Seminar Series - Agentic AI Workflows - 9/17/26
YouTube video by AI-ML Astrobiology
www.youtube.com
September 18, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Our latest seminar video on scientific AI/ML is out! An amazing talk by Dr Eric Wolf on his adoption of agentic workflows for exoplanetary climate modeling research. Parts technical, parts philosophical, and parts personal. An essential resource... www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRYt...
I’m very excited to share that I’ll be serving as Project Scientist for NASA’s First Look Science Team working with the remarkable Impact AI team at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville and at IBM to build a Mars Atmosphere AI Foundation Model (MAFM).
September 11, 2026 at 12:48 PM
I’m very excited to share that I’ll be serving as Project Scientist for NASA’s First Look Science Team working with the remarkable Impact AI team at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville and at IBM to build a Mars Atmosphere AI Foundation Model (MAFM).
Reposted by Caleb Scharf
Tomorrow at the @exploratorium.bsky.social! I’m so excited to be a part of this event at my childhood science museum!
Bay Area friends! I'll be on a panel about "Extraterrestrial Life" at the @exploratorium.bsky.social in SF on Thursday, August 20, 7–8 pm! Hope to see you there!
Open Question: Extraterrestrial Life | Exploratorium Museum Event
Is there life in outer space?
www.exploratorium.edu
August 19, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Tomorrow at the @exploratorium.bsky.social! I’m so excited to be a part of this event at my childhood science museum!
New paper: Astrobiology in the Time of Artificial Intelligence - a look at the history and future of machine learning and computing for space exploration and life detection in the context of the Viking missions 50th anniversary arxiv.org/abs/2606.23854 (Astrobiology Journal)
Astrobiology in the Time of Artificial Intelligence
The Viking missions showcased multiple spaceflight technologies representing state-of-the-art capabilities: from digital line-scan imaging to the operation of complex onboard laboratories and software...
arxiv.org
June 24, 2026 at 1:23 PM
New paper: Astrobiology in the Time of Artificial Intelligence - a look at the history and future of machine learning and computing for space exploration and life detection in the context of the Viking missions 50th anniversary arxiv.org/abs/2606.23854 (Astrobiology Journal)
If you want to be better informed about the history and possible future of space exploration I wrote the book for you: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/caleb...
The Giant Leap
A leading astrobiologist argues that space travel is an evolutionary event at least as important as life’s first journey from sea to land"The Giant Leap is...
www.hachettebookgroup.com
June 12, 2026 at 3:38 PM
If you want to be better informed about the history and possible future of space exploration I wrote the book for you: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/caleb...
My interview on Planetary Radio about The Giant Leap and the past, present, and future of space exploration is now available! www.planetary.org/planetary-ra...
Book Club Edition: The Giant Leap: Why Space is the Next Frontier in…
Astrobiologist Caleb Scharf eloquently explores the future of humanity and what we will become when we live beyond Earth.
www.planetary.org
March 24, 2026 at 1:00 PM
My interview on Planetary Radio about The Giant Leap and the past, present, and future of space exploration is now available! www.planetary.org/planetary-ra...
New podcast about The Giant Leap just dropped : www.planetary.org/planetary-ra...
Book Club Edition: The Giant Leap: Why Space is the Next Frontier in…
Astrobiologist Caleb Scharf eloquently explores the future of humanity and what we will become when we live beyond Earth.
www.planetary.org
March 21, 2026 at 12:25 PM
New podcast about The Giant Leap just dropped : www.planetary.org/planetary-ra...
Reposted by Caleb Scharf
If Alien Signals Reached Earth, Why Haven't We Seen Them?
astrobiology.com/2026/02/if-a... #astrobiology #SETI #technosignature
astrobiology.com/2026/02/if-a... #astrobiology #SETI #technosignature
If Alien Signals Reached Earth, Why Haven't We Seen Them? - Astrobiology
astronomers have scanned the Milky Way for signs of advanced extraterrestrial civilizations
astrobiology.com
February 17, 2026 at 6:11 PM
If Alien Signals Reached Earth, Why Haven't We Seen Them?
astrobiology.com/2026/02/if-a... #astrobiology #SETI #technosignature
astrobiology.com/2026/02/if-a... #astrobiology #SETI #technosignature
Excited to share preprint of my new research: The Interplanetary Habitable Zone - habitability for space-faring species. A maths framework & agent-based simulation approach: arxiv.org/abs/2602.13404
February 17, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Excited to share preprint of my new research: The Interplanetary Habitable Zone - habitability for space-faring species. A maths framework & agent-based simulation approach: arxiv.org/abs/2602.13404
You know it's a good science day when you get to write "boundedly rational utility maximizers" in an astrobiology research paper
February 3, 2026 at 9:09 PM
You know it's a good science day when you get to write "boundedly rational utility maximizers" in an astrobiology research paper
Reposted by Caleb Scharf
Why might our future in space look more like living on Deep Space Nine than colonizing other planets? Dr. @calebscharf.bsky.social explains on this recent episode of Strange New Worlds: A Science & Star Trek Podcast! soundcloud.com/strange-new-...
a space ship with the letter b on the front
ALT: a space ship with the letter b on the front
media.tenor.com
January 27, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Why might our future in space look more like living on Deep Space Nine than colonizing other planets? Dr. @calebscharf.bsky.social explains on this recent episode of Strange New Worlds: A Science & Star Trek Podcast! soundcloud.com/strange-new-...
Reposted by Caleb Scharf
New planet just dropped and it
1) is almost exactly Earth-sized
2) has a year that's almost exactly 1 Earth year.
3) orbits a star that is not a 💢temperamental little shit M-dwarf 💢but is instead a 🧡 good orange boi 🧡
Me for @science.org based on results presented at #RockyWorlds4: 🔭🧪
1) is almost exactly Earth-sized
2) has a year that's almost exactly 1 Earth year.
3) orbits a star that is not a 💢temperamental little shit M-dwarf 💢but is instead a 🧡 good orange boi 🧡
Me for @science.org based on results presented at #RockyWorlds4: 🔭🧪
Earth-size planet spotted with yearlong orbit
Long-overlooked Kepler signal discovered by citizen scientists reveals promising world worth a closer look
www.science.org
January 28, 2026 at 9:42 PM
New planet just dropped and it
1) is almost exactly Earth-sized
2) has a year that's almost exactly 1 Earth year.
3) orbits a star that is not a 💢temperamental little shit M-dwarf 💢but is instead a 🧡 good orange boi 🧡
Me for @science.org based on results presented at #RockyWorlds4: 🔭🧪
1) is almost exactly Earth-sized
2) has a year that's almost exactly 1 Earth year.
3) orbits a star that is not a 💢temperamental little shit M-dwarf 💢but is instead a 🧡 good orange boi 🧡
Me for @science.org based on results presented at #RockyWorlds4: 🔭🧪
If you want to know what it's like when two scientists who really enjoy each other's company sit down for a conversation about science, space, and life in the universe, well here's the answer:
New podcast episode! 🚀🎙🖖
Dr. @calebscharf.bsky.social, the senior scientist for astrobiology at NASA Ames, beams aboard to discuss how becoming a spacefaring civilization is a major transition in the story of life on Earth.
Dr. @calebscharf.bsky.social, the senior scientist for astrobiology at NASA Ames, beams aboard to discuss how becoming a spacefaring civilization is a major transition in the story of life on Earth.
Episode 194: The Giant Leap
Guest: Dr. Caleb Scharf
Becoming a spacefaring civilization is a major transition in the story of life on Earth. Senior scientist for astrobiology at NASA Ames Dr. Caleb Scharf beams aboard to discu
soundcloud.com
January 23, 2026 at 7:03 PM
If you want to know what it's like when two scientists who really enjoy each other's company sit down for a conversation about science, space, and life in the universe, well here's the answer:
I can attest that this is a terrific book!
Do you like listening to audio books?
I'm excited to share that my first popular science book, Time's Second Arrow, will be available in audio format the same day the hardcover version hits bookshelves—February 10, 2026!
I'm excited to share that my first popular science book, Time's Second Arrow, will be available in audio format the same day the hardcover version hits bookshelves—February 10, 2026!
RBmedia | Time\'s Second Arrow
Listen to the audiobook Time\'s Second Arrow, written by Robert M Hazen;Michael L. Wong, narrated by Stephen Bowlby.
rbmediaglobal.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:16 PM
I can attest that this is a terrific book!
@nautil.us has this excellent series of "greatest revelations" from authors and others. I got to have my turn in talking about The Giant Leap and the things it revealed to me along the way... nautil.us/space-explor...
Space Exploration Speaks to the Core of Who We Are
Space Exploration Speaks to the Core of Who We Are: Astrobiologist Caleb Scharf’s 3 greatest revelations while The Giant Leap.
nautil.us
January 14, 2026 at 1:42 PM
@nautil.us has this excellent series of "greatest revelations" from authors and others. I got to have my turn in talking about The Giant Leap and the things it revealed to me along the way... nautil.us/space-explor...
Thrilled to see a great review of The Giant Leap over at the
@wsj.com ! “A scintillating tour of mankind’s explorations in space so far.” 😀 www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
@wsj.com ! “A scintillating tour of mankind’s explorations in space so far.” 😀 www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
‘The Giant Leap’ and ‘The Pale Blue Data Point’: Adventure Is Out There
Plus Jon Willis’s “The Pale Blue Data Point.”
www.wsj.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:10 PM
Thrilled to see a great review of The Giant Leap over at the
@wsj.com ! “A scintillating tour of mankind’s explorations in space so far.” 😀 www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
@wsj.com ! “A scintillating tour of mankind’s explorations in space so far.” 😀 www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
For a moment this phrasing gave me a nice vision of pigs sitting around discussing ancestry…
Pigs across the Pacific can trace their ancestry to Southeast Asian domestic pigs that accompanied early Austronesian-speaking groups as they island-hopped across the region, according to a new genomic study in Science. https://scim.ag/4aKOYtC
Genomic and morphometric evidence for Austronesian-mediated pig translocation in the Pacific
Several millennia of human-mediated translocation of non-native pig species (genus Sus) to the islands of Wallacea and Oceania have considerably altered local ecosystems. To investigate the timing and...
scim.ag
January 7, 2026 at 9:44 PM
For a moment this phrasing gave me a nice vision of pigs sitting around discussing ancestry…
New interview about The Giant Leap is now available - many thanks to Smithsonian Associates and Paul Vogelzang for a terrific conversation! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
🎙️The Giant Leap: Is Space the Future of Life on Earth?
Podcast Episode · The Not Old - Better Show · 12/30/2025 · 39m
podcasts.apple.com
January 6, 2026 at 9:59 PM
New interview about The Giant Leap is now available - many thanks to Smithsonian Associates and Paul Vogelzang for a terrific conversation! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
This is just incredible and lovely! Life in the abyss.
The deepest confirmed fish observation occurred at ~8,300 m. I know the shape behind it is another fish’s tail, but my brain insists it looks like the foreground fish is wearing a party hat. #deepsea #marinelife
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
January 5, 2026 at 9:44 PM
This is just incredible and lovely! Life in the abyss.
Reposted by Caleb Scharf
I haven’t stopped thinking about this frog since learning about it a few days ago, so now this knowledge is your problem too.
Meet the turtle frog (Myobatrachus gouldii) – a round burrow gremlin from Australia. It gets its name from looking like a turtle that lost its shell.
📸 Stephen Zozaya
Meet the turtle frog (Myobatrachus gouldii) – a round burrow gremlin from Australia. It gets its name from looking like a turtle that lost its shell.
📸 Stephen Zozaya
December 23, 2025 at 9:01 PM
I haven’t stopped thinking about this frog since learning about it a few days ago, so now this knowledge is your problem too.
Meet the turtle frog (Myobatrachus gouldii) – a round burrow gremlin from Australia. It gets its name from looking like a turtle that lost its shell.
📸 Stephen Zozaya
Meet the turtle frog (Myobatrachus gouldii) – a round burrow gremlin from Australia. It gets its name from looking like a turtle that lost its shell.
📸 Stephen Zozaya
Thanks @brianclegg.bsky.social for such a thoughtful review! Delighted that the book was of interest!
Review: The Giant Leap: @calebscharf.bsky.social **** - An invigorating mix of investigating the technology required to get humans into space and the idea that expanding into space is our evolutionary next step. popsciencebooks.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-... #bookreview #popularscience #spacetravel
The Giant Leap - Caleb Scharf ****
This is surely Caleb Scharf's most personal work - and certainly quite different from some of his earlier output, such as his excellent Grav...
popsciencebooks.blogspot.com
December 23, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Thanks @brianclegg.bsky.social for such a thoughtful review! Delighted that the book was of interest!
It's Friday, the holidays are upon us, what better time to read a book about the amazing enterprise of space exploration, and what it means for life on Earth!
December 19, 2025 at 2:55 PM
It's Friday, the holidays are upon us, what better time to read a book about the amazing enterprise of space exploration, and what it means for life on Earth!
Another conversation about my new book The Giant Leap (@BasicBooks) is now live! Space exploration is such a rich topic and it stirs so many viewpoints, it's very fascinating. convergingdialogues.substack.com/p/456-the-fu...
December 11, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Another conversation about my new book The Giant Leap (@BasicBooks) is now live! Space exploration is such a rich topic and it stirs so many viewpoints, it's very fascinating. convergingdialogues.substack.com/p/456-the-fu...
New conversation about my book The Giant Leap and quite a lot more - life in the universe, data, and the future of space w. Brad Carr: www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5Kd...
Caleb Scharf: Searching for Life in Space and the Shadow Biosphere
YouTube video by Brad Carr
www.youtube.com
November 29, 2025 at 2:40 PM
New conversation about my book The Giant Leap and quite a lot more - life in the universe, data, and the future of space w. Brad Carr: www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5Kd...