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Articles on Aliens

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SETI has been listening for markers that may indicate alien life – but is doing so ethical? Donald Giannati via Unsplash

First contact with aliens could end in colonization and genocide if we don’t learn from history

Three Indigenous studies scholars draw from colonial histories and explain why listening for alien life can have ethical ramifications.
Photos claiming to be UFO evidence are often doctored or otherwise ambiguous. Ray Massey/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Why people tend to believe UFOs are extraterrestrial

While UFO videos might seem compelling, they’re rarely backed up with evidence. A sociologist explains why claims of alien life gain traction through both social and mass media every few years.
The TOI-700 star system is home to four planets, including two in its habitable zone that could host liquid water. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Distant star TOI-700 has two potentially habitable planets orbiting it – making it an excellent candidate in the search for life

With more than 5,000 known exoplanets, astronomers are shifting their focus from discovering additional distant worlds to identifying which are good candidates for further study.
Astronomers think the most likely place to find life in the galaxy is on super-Earths, like Kepler-69c, seen in this artist’s rendering. NASA Ames/JPL-CalTech

Super-Earths are bigger, more common and more habitable than Earth itself – and astronomers are discovering more of the billions they think are out there

Newly discovered super-Earths add to the list of planets around other stars that offer the best chance of finding life. An astronomer explains what makes these super-Earths such excellent candidates.

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