Inside the search for life on ‘nearby’ Proxima b

The Tyee interviewed Jaymie Matthews, a UBC physics and astronomy professor, for an article on a Canadian space telescope that is helping to unlock the mysteries of a planet that may be similar to the earth.

Scientists don’t yet know if any magnetic field and atmosphere on the planet, called Proxima b, can be maintained or even provide enough shielding to preserve water and life at the surface.

“It’s like that song, ‘New York, New York’… if I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere,” said Matthews. “The flares and all this ultraviolet can be a bad thing for life but it may also be an essential spark to trigger life in the first place.”