Peering beyond the haze of alien worlds, and how failures help us make new discoveries

<p>Data on hazes and clouds may be key to understanding exoplanets, and NextGen letter writers share the upside of failure</p> <p>Hazes and clouds could keep exoplanets’ secrets hidden, unless researchers can re-create them here on Earth. After celebrating JWST and its ability to look far back in time and help us look for habitable exoplanets as the <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/breakthrough-2022">2022 </a><a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/breakthrough-2022"><em>Science</em></a><a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/breakthrough-2022"> Breakthrough of the Year</a>, News Intern Zack Savitsky talks with host Sarah Crespi about<a href="https://www.zacksavitsky.com/"> an overlooked problem with using telescopes to examine exoplanets’ atmospheres</a>. </p> <p>What was your greatest mistake? In a chat with producer Kevin McLean, Letters Editor Jennifer Sills shares stories from NextGen Voices about <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg1443">failures that led them in unexpected directions </a>in their science careers.</p> <p>Take the podcast audience survey at: <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TLKCHC8">https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TLKCHC8</a></p> <p>This week’s episode was produced with help from <a href="https://podigy.co/">Podigy</a>.</p> <p>[Image: NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech; Music: Jeffrey Cook]</p> <p>[alt: exoplanet with cloudy and hazy atmosphere with podcast symbol overlay]</p> <p>Authors: Sarah Crespi; Kevin McLean; Jennifer Sills; Zack Savitsky </p> <p>Episode page: <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg6078">https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg6078</a></p> <p>About the Science Podcast: <a href="https://www.science.org/content/page/about-science-podcast">https://www.science.org/content/page/about-science-podcast</a> </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>