Following NASA’s latest discovery of organic matter on the red planet, new findings in a salt lake in California could point to where to look for alien life.
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Alien life – Analysis and Comment
We could find evidence of life on Europa within a couple of decades.
Using AI to search for ET might help us find things we couldn’t even imagine we should look for, but to succeed we also have think critically about how we create and use that technology.
New research may help us to look for messages from alien civilisations.
If we find microbes on Mars, it will be difficult to exclude the possibility that we have accidentally brought them there from Earth.
Scientists looking for signs of alien life from the mystery object passing through our Solar system say they’ve found nothing “so far”.
Planetary protection protocols try to make sure we don’t seed places like Mars with life from our planet. An astrobiologist argues they’re misguided – especially with human astronauts on the horizon.
The Cassini space probe discovered liquid lakes, poisonous gases and the basic elements of life on Saturn’s moon, Titan.
Humanity is the real target for these recordings which continue to inspire us to better understand ourselves and our place in the cosmos.
Scientists discover rare molecules on Titan which suggests it’s creating the building blocks of life.
Hardy lifeforms such as tardigrades can survive almost anything.
Musk dismisses one of the main technical challenges of being on the Martian surface: the temperature.
The Astronomer Royal answers some of the world’s – and the universe’s – biggest questions.
There has been much excitement this week about the possibility of water – and life – on some newly discovered exoplanets. But we can look closer to home for evidence of ET.
We continue to search for intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. But if we find ET there are those who question whether we should make contact or not.
There’s now strong evidence that Europa might be a worthwhile place to search for life.
Mysterious radiation that appears to come from star HD 164595 is more likely to have a terrestrial origin.
Scientists have finally found an Earth-like planet we may actually be able to visit.
Complex life may be rare in the universe because most planets become either too hot or too cold before life has a chance to get a foothold. This might explain why we have yet to bump into E.T.
The number of known exoplanets doubled this week to more than 3,200. But why have only a handful of these those new planets caught people’s imagination?
A philosopher argues that now is the time to figure it out, before we make the inevitable discovery of extraterrestrial life.
There are technological ways to hide a planet from intergalactic detection – as well as ways to signal that we’re just sitting here, eager for contact.
It’s an ambitious plan to send a micro-spaceship to our stellar neighbour but is this possible with today’s technology or even technology in the near future?
A US$100-million plan has been announced to send tiny probes out in space in search of life elsewhere in the universe. But are they looking in the right place?
If we do find life on Mars, it will be difficult to prove that we didn’t bring it there from Earth. An insider talks us through what’s at stake.