Extraterrestrial Life
Life on Mars May Have Been Its Own Worst Enemy
A new study suggests that billions of years ago microbes may have thrived on Mars before succumbing to freezing temperatures of their own making
Extraterrestrial Life448 articles archived since 1845
Extraterrestrial Life
50, 100 & 150 Years Ago: October 2022
No life on the moon; safe gas at home
Extraterrestrial Life
Perseverance Mars Rover Makes ‘Fantastic’ Find in Search for Past Life
NASA’s Perseverance rover has collected four rock samples from an ancient river delta where organisms might have thrived
Extraterrestrial Life
Frank Drake’s Courageous Questions Live On
Drake’s curiosity and ambition turned the search for extraterrestrial intelligence into the scientific venture it is today
Extraterrestrial Life
SETI Pioneer Frank Drake Leaves a Legacy of Searching for Voices in the Void
Remembering Frank Drake, who led science in listening for an extraterrestrial “whisper we can’t quite hear”
Extraterrestrial Life
Cultural Bias Distorts the Search for Alien Life
“Decolonizing” the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) could boost its chances of success, says science historian Rebecca Charbonneau
Extraterrestrial Life
With New Study, NASA Seeks the Science behind UFOs
Although modest in scope, a NASA research project reflects shifting attitudes toward the formerly taboo subject of UFOs
Extraterrestrial Life
New Instrument Could Spy Signs of Alien Life in Glowing Rocks
Organisms on Earth produce a wide array of durable “biofluorescent” materials. If those on other planets do, too, the Compact Color Biofinder should be able to detect them
Planetary Science
Controversy Grows Over whether Mars Samples Endanger Earth
Planetary scientists are eager to bring Red Planet rocks, soil and even air to Earth, but critics fear the risk of contaminating our world’s biosphere
Extraterrestrial Life
Scientists Sprout First-Ever Seedlings in Apollo Moon Dirt
We now know that plants survive but fail to thrive in lunar soil
Extraterrestrial Life
Origin of Life Theory Involving RNA-Protein Hybrid Gets New Support
A structure that links amino acids suggests that early organisms could have been based on an RNA-protein mix
Astronomy
Ukrainian Astronomers Discover ‘Exocomets’ around Another Star
The alien comets could illuminate the history of their planetary system
Extraterrestrial Life
Researchers Made a New Message for Extraterrestrials
An updated communication could be beamed out for space alien listeners in hopes of making first contact
Extraterrestrial Life
Life Is Complicated—Literally, Astrobiologists Say
A new theory suggests that searches for molecular complexity could uncover convincing evidence of extraterrestrial life—and do so soon
Extraterrestrial Life
How Scientists Could Tell the World if They Find Alien Life
Sparked by major advances in their field, astrobiologists are grappling with how best to discuss possible breakthrough discoveries with the public
Extraterrestrial Life
A Mysterious ‘Alien Beacon’ Was Actually a False Alarm
The radio signal seemed to originate from the star Proxima Centauri and provided a helpful drill for future searches
Extraterrestrial Life
Microbes, Natural Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence
Humanity’s greatest achievement might be building our successors
Extraterrestrial Life
How to Search for Life as We Don’t Know It
Much of astrobiology is focused on looking for organisms with chemistry similar to ours—but there could well be other kinds
Extraterrestrial Life
Astronomers Should Be Willing to Look Closer at Weird Objects in the Sky
The Galileo Project seeks to train telescopes on unidentified aerial phenomena
Extraterrestrial Life
Note to Branson and Bezos: Extraterrestrials Will Not Be Impressed
If they exist, they’ll find our puny forays into space completely insignificant
