Extraterrestrial Life

The Perseverance rover’s new findings set the stage for bringing Martian samples back to Earth to test whether microbes once inhabited the Red Planet

A monumental sign of an atmosphere on TRAPPIST-1e could be the precursor to finally finding a living world around another star

Fresh results from near-infrared instruments foretell a bright future for finding life elsewhere in the Milky Way

The search for extraterrestrial life has periodically been turned upside down

Beneath the surfaces of distant planets, microbes might subsist on harsh radiation rather than starlight, a new study suggests

A controversial arsenic microbe study unveiled 15 years ago has been retracted. The study’s authors are crying foul

Observations of a baby star may show the earliest stages of planet formation that astronomers have ever seen

A new global overview of Mars suggests dust, rather than water, is the source of mysterious streaks there

The future is bright—too bright—for life as we know it once the sun transforms into a red giant star

Launching in 2028, China’s Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission could bring Red Planet rocks back to Earth as early as 2031—years ahead of competing U.S.-European efforts

NASA’s astrobiology ambitions are at risk of collapsing under the White House’s proposed budget. But your voice can make a difference

After billions of dollars in spending and decades of planning, NASA may be forced to abandon precious samples of air, rock and soil on the Martian surface. Experts are furious