Margins - Darpan’s Digital Archive

youtube.com14 Nov 2026

The Most Likely Place to Find Aliens

The idea of exploring the current scientific processes we use to discover extraterrestrial (read: alien) existence. This is both within our Solar…

Read full notes

Central idea
- The idea of exploring the current scientific processes we use to discover extraterrestrial (read: alien) existence. This is both within our Solar System and within the deep reaches of space (I love these kinds of videos!)
- Lots of very interesting and novel methods that Cleo and Dr. Sara Seager get into.
Interesting insights
- Methods scientists use to discover exoplanets:
  - Transit method: star light dropping when a planet passes between us and the star
  - Doppler Method: a star wobbles since its center of gravity is outside its surface (due to a planet orbiting it). It’s the same for our Sun due to Jupiter. We detect the line-of-sight motion (moving towards or away from us) as the presence of a planet in the star’s orbit. With this, we can measure radial velocities down to 40±5.7 cm/s (extremely precise)
  - Direct imaging: when a planet is bright enough for us to see directly (very rare since stars are incredibly bright compared to even the most radiant planets)
  - Through Astrometry: branch of astronomy that measures the movements of stars. It measures how a star moves within its galaxy. A star with planets usually has a spiral/loop-to-loop movement (wobbling in 3D) instead of a straight line
  - Gravitational microlensing: when an unseen star passes between us (telescope) and a known star, it bends the light coming from the known star (the star appears brighter than usual).
- Investigating the atmosphere of an exoplanet:
  - Transit transmission spectroscopy - when a star is in front of a star, looking at what light reaches us vs. what was absorbed/blocked. This can help us understand what gases are present in the atmosphere that absorbed/blocked the light trying to get to us from the star.
  - Chronograph through Starshade - isolating the planet’s light through a telescope called Starshade. Invented in the 60s but still needs funding to be built
- What we look for when looking for life:
  - Earth-like life: finding oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, etc., the usual stuff that we emit from Earth’s life
  - Life as we don’t know it: life can be supported by ANY kind of gases/atmospheres. We really don’t know until we know! Beyond detecting gases, we currently can’t see inside a planet beyond that (no city lights, no structures, and definitely not the surface) ☹️
- Discussion about looking for AI /Technology rather than biosignatures: The idea that our first contact might not be with biological entities, but with self-replicating AI, harvesting energy near stars or black holes. Completely shifts the traditional narrative of alien life being “little green men”.
- Life on Venus:
  - Carl Sagan proposed this idea of finding life as we know it in Venus’ atmosphere (~50 km, in the ionosphere), instead of the surface, where it is much cooler (and near-perfect temperature, ~31°C) for life to exist.
  - They’re trying to send probes to Venus in the MorningStar missions (mostly privately funded).
  - The Venus atmosphere is all gases, mostly made of concentrated sulphuric acid, so our life (DNA-based) can’t survive that.
  - But amino acids, nucleic acids, small lipids, and peptides are stable in sulphuric acid. So, molecules like DNA - not DNA, but with a different backbone can survive in sulphuric acid. One such molecule is peptide nucleic acid (PNA).
  - Pushes the limits of what different biological structures and conditions life can form and survive in!
Challenges to my thinking
- About how we think about alien life. Sci-fi has built the rhetoric that aliens will roughly look like we do - limbs, a head with eyes, a nose, and a mouth (with some variations from the more creative ones).
- Life in our universe could be entirely different, from microbial to non-oxygen or water-dependent extra-dimensional beings.
Connections
- Given how much Sci-fi I consume and how I read about astronomy and space, this video feeds every single one of those curious itches and gives me more to imagine about (an aside: one of the discussions I bring up during dinner conversations which is about someone getting the option to be immortal)
Actionable takeaway
- Maybe I’ll write a small piece about this kind of work being done, linking sci-fi with actual science being done for that same sci-fi to actually become reality someday. The work of people like Dr. Seager should be more popular!
Questions to explore
- How would humanity differentiate between a natural phenomenon and an artificial structure in space?
- How (and if) does humanity classify “intelligence” when looking for extraterrestrial life?
- How do we define "life" if it doesn't rely on DNA as its building block?

Vocabulary & Expressions

New words/terms:
- Astrometry - branch of astronomy that involves precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars
- Glom - to grab or hold onto something. Usually used for an idea - “glommed onto this idea”
- Pervade - to pass or flow through, or to spread through the whole extent of
Interesting phrases:
- Techno-signature gases: Complicated gases like Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC-12), Sulfur Hexafluoride, Sulfur Tetrafluoride, Nitrogen Trifluoride, that aren’t created by natural life, but by industry or technology.
Better ways of expressing an idea:
- Finding aliens → searching for evidence of metabolic or industrial processes in atmospheric compositions

urfriendelle.substack.com14 Nov 2026

Lessons from the best flirt I know

Talks about her friend from NYC who was the best go-getter she’s met.

Read full notes

Central idea
- Talks about her friend from NYC who was the best go-getter she’s met.
- Being quietly confident in situations, engaging with people she finds interesting and being generally undeterred when the conversation didn’t a particular interaction doesn’t bear fruit
- She never took rejection personally. Never indicted herself.
Interesting insights
- Having the quiet kind of confidence where knowing that how a situation turns out isn’t your fault.
- Being direct, upfront, and practical about things is super important! Saves you a lot of time and trouble
Challenges to my thinking
- Even though this kind of thing - “just constantly engaging in conversations”, might not work for everyone, it’s the kind of skill that’s very important to hone
Connections
- Connects very closely to the concept of creating your luck by increasing the surface area for opportunities to strike. The lesson from this isn’t just about flirting; it’s something that applies to conversations in any setting that you can have - professional, personal or just social.
- I do some of these in my life, and it’s opened doors that I never would have walked through otherwise.
Actionable takeaway
- Engage in conversations with strangers that you find interesting; get to know acquaintances better!

erifili.substack.com12 Nov 2026

practical things you can do to increase your luck

Ways to increase your luck using three big and impactful habits

Read full notes

Central idea
- Ways to increase your luck using three big and impactful habits
Interesting insights
- The essence is that you be yourself, do things, and shoot more delusional shots. All these will make you luckier by design.
- Most of these are things I knew, but the author has a good, catchy title and easy-to-read writing.
- She mentions that we should implement these habits as micro-experiments, as we’re more likely to stick to them.
Challenges to my thinking
- Nothing really. Very apt points.
Connections
- These are in line with “Creating your luck” articles by Naval & Swyx. Planning to write my own articles about this topic, but with an added perspective.
Actionable takeaway
- Is there something I want to change, experiment with, or apply?
- A good differentiator: using only lowercase in your title
Questions to explore
- What new perspective can I add about this topic in my article that hasn’t already been covered? TBD.

Vocabulary & Expressions

Better ways of expressing an idea:
- Your fear will go away slowly → Your fear of judgement will dissipate little by little

Things I find online

The Most Likely Place to Find Aliens

Lessons from the best flirt I know

practical things you can do to increase your luck