Full Transcript
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhmNNs47PMo
[00:07] Hello.
[00:07] This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
[00:11] I'm Neil.
[00:12] And I'm Becca.
[00:13] Neil, Do you believe that life exists away from planet Earth?
[00:17] Well, I'm not sure about the kind of little green men that you see in science fiction movies,
[00:23] but also, I think we cannot be alone in the universe.
[00:28] What about you, Becca? What do you think?
[00:30] I agree, I think that maybe life does exist beyond our planet,
[00:35] but maybe not as we see in alien movies.
[00:39] Well, in this episode, we'll be learning from science and space experts about whether the conditions for life exist on a planet 40 light years away.
[00:49] Yes, and as usual, you can find a transcript for this episode, along with all the vocabulary and a worksheet on our website bbclearningenglish.com
[00:59] Okay, a quiz question for you, Becca.
[01:01] How long would it take to drive a car to the Sun at 100km an hour?
[01:08] Is it a) 70 years?
[01:10] b) 170 years or, c) 1700 years?
[01:16] Well, Neil, the Sun seems very far away.
[01:19] So I'll go for c) 1,700 years.
[01:23] I hope you have enough petrol for that.
[01:25] Well, we'll find out the answer to the question later.
[01:28] Now, though, some science and space experts are excited about a planet
[01:33] in a different solar system from our own.
[01:35] Science journalist Caroline Steele talks about this discovery
[01:39] on the BBC World Service programme,
[01:41] What in the World.
[01:42] So, scientists have been looking at an exoplanet.
[01:45] So, that's a planet that exists in a solar system that isn't our own,
[01:49] called TRAPPIST-1e and it's a rocky planet like Earth.
[01:54] It's a similar size to Earth,
[01:55] and it exists in the habitable zone around its sun,
[02:00] and its sun is called TRAPPIST-1.
[02:03] Caroline explains that scientists have discovered
[02:06] that the planet TRAPPIST-1e exists in the habitable zone around its sun.
[02:12] The adjective habitable describes a place or habitat that is suitable for something to live.
[02:18] Yes, and a zone is an area with a particular feature.
[02:21] For example, people who live in earthquake zones have to be prepared for danger.
[02:27] So, a habitable zone is an area where something could live.
[02:31] Caroline goes on to explain why they think TRAPPIST-1e may be habitable.
[02:35] Scientists have been looking at the potential atmosphere around TRAPPIST-1e and they've ruled out that it's really full of hydrogen or carbon dioxide, which is a great thing because they're greenhouse gases, which would make the planet really hot.
[02:48] And there are some small clues that it might be a nitrogen dominated atmosphere, which, again, is another sort of clue that there could be life there.
[02:58] Caroline Steele says that scientists are looking at the potential atmosphere around TRAPPIST-1e.
[03:04] That is, they want to find out if the atmosphere is capable or likely to become able to host life.
[03:10] If something has potential,
[03:12] it already has the qualities or abilities to do something.
[03:16] The adjective potential has a similar meaning,
[03:18] but refers to future capability.
[03:21] Exactly.
[03:22] We could say the data has potential in that it shows signs
[03:25] of helping the research.
[03:26] But when we talk about potential data,
[03:29] we're referring to data that could help us with future research.
[03:33] She also mentions how scientists have ruled out that TRAPPIST-1e is full
[03:37] of hydrogen or carbon dioxide.
[03:40] The phrasal verb rule out means to dismiss the possibility
[03:43] or idea of something.
[03:45] Scientists have found that TRAPPIST-1e is not full of those greenhouse gases.
[03:50] They've ruled it out.
[03:51] Indeed. And Caroline goes on to say
[03:53] how the atmosphere of TRAPPIST-1e is dominated by nitrogen.
[03:58] If something is dominated by something else, it is controlled by it
[04:02] or is the most significant element of it.
[04:04] TRAPPIST-1e is full of nitrogen,
[04:07] which is exciting because nitrogen is a sign of life and habitability.
[04:12] So what if nitrogen is actually found on this planet?
[04:16] Caroline Steele has more.
[04:18] My guess is what we'll do is try and see what other gases are in the atmosphere,
[04:21] and use models to work out how warm the planet could be,
[04:25] and whether or not it's a temperature that basically could support life.
[04:28] Or maybe it's too hot or too cold,
[04:30] but fingers crossed it has a nitrogen.
[04:32] There's enough of it to keep the planet a decent temperature.
[04:35] And then that's one step closer to finding life.
[04:38] Caroline guesses that scientists will focus on the planet's temperature
[04:41] and whether it could support life.
[04:43] She uses the expression fingers crossed to express hope for a positive outcome.
[04:48] Yes, we often make the physical gesture of crossing our fingers for good luck.
[04:53] We do. That reminds me, Neil, the answer to your question.
[04:57] Fingers crossed that I answered correctly.
[04:59] I see what you've done there, Becca. Yes.
[05:01] I asked you how long it would take to drive to the Sun at 100km an hour.
[05:06] And you answered c) 1,700 years.
[05:10] Well, the Sun is very far away, but the answer was b) only 170 years.
[05:16] Oh, well, that's still longer than my lifetime.
[05:19] Now let's have a recap of the language we've learned in this episode,
[05:22] starting with 'habitable', which describes a place or habitat that is suitable for something to live.
[05:28] A zone is an area with a particular feature.
[05:31] 'Potential' describes having possible qualities or abilities to do something.
[05:35] The phrasal verb 'rule out' means to dismiss the possibility or idea of something.
[05:40] We also had 'dominated'.
[05:43] If something is dominated by something else, it is controlled by it or is the most significant element of it.
[05:49] And finally, the expression 'fingers crossed' is used to wish for hope or luck.
[05:55] Once again, our six minutes are up, but head over to our website, bbclearningenglish.com for a quiz and worksheet for this episode.
[06:02] See you soon. Goodbye for now. Bye.