Today we’re ditching the drama on Earth and talking about K2-18b, an exoplanet 120 light-years away. K2-18b recently made headlines after researchers claimed to observe possible “signs of life” in the planet's atmosphere.

So, did we find aliens? Michaela Musilova, an astrobiologist and analog astronaut, said it’s too early to tell.

“Is it actually a detection of life, or is it potentially just some noise in the data? We're in that kind of stage as scientists,” said Musilova.

On the show today, Musilova breaks down the debate over the “biosignatures” reportedly observed on K2-18b, why better telescopes are needed to find definitive proof of life on another planet, and why President Trump’s proposed funding cuts to NASA could disrupt this search. Plus, what’s it like to be an analog astronaut, and what do they actually do?

Then, we’ll unpack more details in the House Republicans’ sweeping tax bill. And, we’ll zen out with some stunning photos taken from the International Space Station. 

Later, why a healthy reading diet contains both “broccoli” and “chocolate pie” books. Plus, Jessamine Chan, author of “The School for Good Mothers,” answers the Make Me Smart question.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Astronomers Detect a Possible Signature of Life on a Distant Planet" from The New York Times

• "Does exoplanet K2-18b host alien life or not? Here's why the debate continues" from Space 

• "Experts alarmed as White House proposes 'largest single-year cut to NASA in American history'" from Space 

• "NASA’s Don Pettit Shot 220 Days of Amazing Photos From the I.S.S." from The New York Times 

• "What’s in Trump and Republicans’ giant tax and immigration bill?" from The Washington Post

• "Republican Tax Plan Boosts SALT Deduction, Ends Green-Energy Breaks" from The Wall Street Journal 

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