How would an alien scientist recognize life–including signs of intelligence–if they observed our planet from afar? Posing this question at the start of his talk, an expert astrobiologist and an award-winning author, Dr. Grinspoon, discussed how fundamentally was our planet changed by the emergence of life and how even more profoundly it has been altered in recent times by a single species, Homo sapiens. The anthropocene, the new geological age defined by the collective human activity, while threatening our own existence, holds the promise for the solutions to current environmental crisis we inadvertently have created. Attended by over 90 students and faculty, thought-provoking and inspiring, the talk stirred a lively discussion of our possible futures.