life beyond earth
Do Advanced Civilizations Know We're Here?
Although humans have only sent a couple of tentative signals into space, many are concerned about the risks. Should we…
How Will We the Find First Signs of Alien Life — and When?
When will we find evidence for life beyond Earth? And where will that evidence be found? University of Arizona astronomer Chris…
Liquid Water on Rocky Planets Could be 100 Times More Likely
Astronomers previously believed that you needed a special environment for a rocky planet to have liquid oceans on its surface,…
We've Got to Go Back to Enceladus. Here's a Mission That Could Get the Science
Saturn's moon Enceladus is one of the most promising places to look for life in the Solar System. It has…
Even if There's Life on TRAPPIST-1, We Probably Can't Detect it
If we ever find life on other worlds, it is unlikely to be a powerful message from space. It's certainly…
We Could Spread Life to the Milky Way With Comets. But Should We?
Here's a thorny problem: What if life doesn't always appear on planets that can support it? What if we find…
Webb Can Detect Planets Orbiting White Dwarfs, And Maybe Even See Signs of Life
In a recent study accepted to the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, an international team of researchers led…
Will Mars finally answer, ‘Are we alone?’
We recently examined how and why the planet Venus could answer the longstanding question: Are we alone? Despite its harsh…
Will Venus finally answer, ‘Are we alone?’
We recently examined how and why Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, could answer the longstanding question: Are we alone? It’s the…
Will Titan finally answer, ‘Are we alone?’
We recently examined how and why Jupiter’s moon, Europa, could answer the longstanding question: Are we alone? While this small…