SETI Archives - The Debrief

Could Alien Life Thrive Without a Home Planet? Study Suggests Self-Sustaining Habitats May Be Possible Beyond Earth

Tim McMillan·October 28, 2024

Researchers suggest that self-sustaining habitats could allow alien life to survive and thrive in space without the need for a home planet.

Recalculating the Drake Equation: The SETI Institute Funds a Fresh Look at Astronomy’s Biggest Question

Christopher Plain·October 22, 2024

The SETI Institute is looking for young scientists to help fill in the missing parts of the infamous Drake Equation.

Are We Living in a Simulation? If So, Its Creators Live in a Reality Bigger Than Their Imagination

Avi Loeb·September 16, 2024

If our world is a simulation, what is the reality in which it is embedded? Avi Loeb looks at the science behind the "simulation hypothesis."

Astronomers Scan Over 2,800 Distant Galaxies for Signs of “Super Civilizations”

Christopher Plain·September 4, 2024

SETI researchers have announced an unprecedented search for "super civilizations" across over 2,800 distant galaxies.

Are We Alone? New Study Offers a Grim Outlook on the Discovery of Advanced Extraterrestrial Life

Tim McMillan·August 13, 2024

A new study casts doubt on the likelihood of humanity discovering technologically advanced alien civilizations.

How Would Humans React to Contact with Extraterrestrials? UK Researchers Seek Answers in New Survey

Micah Hanks·July 21, 2024

A new survey looks at how humans might react to eventual contact with extraterrestrials, or whether some form of contact might have already occurred.

SETI Institute Launches Groundbreaking Grants Program in Technosignature Science and the Search for ET

Chrissy Newton·June 27, 2024

The SETI Institute has announced a groundbreaking grants program to help advance technosignature science and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Don’t Expect Aliens Anytime Soon: NASA Scientists Discuss The Challenges James Webb Faces In the Hunt For ET

Tim McMillan·June 11, 2024

Insights from NASA scientists reveal why even with James Webb the quest to find alien life remains challenging and elusive.

Earth-Sized Planet Orbiting the Most Common Star in the Galaxy Found Hanging Out in Our Cosmic Back Yard

Christopher Plain·May 22, 2024

Researchers operating a worldwide network of telescopes say they have spotted an Earth-sized planet hanging out in our cosmic backyard.

The Search for Alien Technology May Have Actually Found Something

Christopher Plain·May 21, 2024

A team of astronomers searching the cosmos for signs of alien technology think they may have actually found something.

James Webb Space Telescope Finds ‘Best Evidence to Date’ for Rocky Exoplanet Atmosphere

Christopher Plain·May 9, 2024

NASA researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected the ‘best evidence to date’ for a rocky exoplanet atmosphere.

Contact with Non-Human Intelligence of the Aquatic Kind: Will Extraterrestrials be Next?

Chrissy Newton·April 30, 2024

A team of scientists says they have successfully communicated with a form of non-human intelligence in our oceans.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Has Created a Snake-like Robot to Search for Life on Enceladus

Christopher Plain·March 13, 2024

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has built a snake-like robot called EELS to search Saturn's moon Enceladus for signs of life.

Strategic Anomaly Detection Effort Uses SETI Ellipsoid Technique to Scour the Cosmos for Technosignatures

Micah Hanks·February 13, 2024

New research reveals how the SETI Ellipsoid technique could move SETI researchers one step closer to discovering intelligence elsewhere in the cosmos.

Darwin’s Theories About Life on Earth Gain Fresh Support, May Aid the Search for Life on Other Worlds

Christopher Plain·January 24, 2024

A new study by researchers from the University of Washington is lending fresh support to Charles Darwin's idea that the origin of life on Earth began in phosphate-rich bodies of water.

This Life-Supporting Component Enabled One of Humanity’s Earliest Innovations. Now It May Be the Key to Finding Intelligent Extraterrestrials.

MJ Banias and Christopher Plain·January 3, 2024

New research could redefine our search for intelligent extraterrestrials by focusing on the role of oxygen in the development of technology.

NASA Identifies 17 Potentially Habitable Earth-Sized Icy Worlds, Including Two Cosmic Nearby Neighbors

Christopher Plain·December 14, 2023

A team of NASA researchers says they have identified 17 potentially habitable icy worlds including two that are cosmically nearby, which may have subsurface oceans teeming with extraterrestrial life.

Decoding the Cosmos: ‘A Sign in Space’ Reveals the Art of Interstellar Communication

Chrissy Newton·November 1, 2023

SETI researchers, space scientists, and artists unite to collaborate on the convergence of SETI and art with “A Sign in Space.”

Hunt For Alien Technology Finishes Scan of 1.6 Million Star Systems “Flagged as Interesting Targets”

Christopher Plain·October 25, 2023

A team of Irish physicists have scanned 1.6 million star systems that could be promising targets in the search for alien technology.

‘Ghost Signals’ from Trappist-1 Exoplanetary System Revealed by James Webb Space Telescope

Christopher Plain·September 26, 2023

Readings from the Trappist 1 star system have revealed "ghost signals" that could affect the search for life on its habitable zone planets.

Stealth Extraterrestrial AI Probes: Reconsidering the UAP Mystery

Courtney Bower and Elizabeth Redmond·September 19, 2023

Could some UAP sightings represent stealth extraterrestrial AI probes? A pair of Cornell regional science students explore this hypothetical solution to the UAP Mystery.

Encountering Aliens: Exploring The Fascinating Speculative Science of Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Physiology and Technology

Tim McMillan·August 8, 2023

Whether one is inspired by recent UAP news, or advances in space exploration, many believe that extraterrestrial intelligence exists. How soon might we finally discover it?

NASA Discovery of Water Where Planets Form Could Have Massive Implications on the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Christopher Plain·July 26, 2023

In a finding that could send ripples through the astronomical community, NASA says researchers have found evidence of water in a protoplanetary disc where new planets are forming.

Gravitational Waves Could Soon Revolutionize the Hunt for Intelligent Alien Civilizations. Here’s How.

Conor Feehly·July 12, 2023

Scientists say that gravitational waves could play a more significant role in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) in the decades ahead. Here's why.

Take Me to Your Lawyer: The Legal Aspects of Contact with Extraterrestrial Intelligence

An international lawyer looks at the legalities related to contact with an alien species.

Michael Bohlander·July 4, 2023

An international lawyer examines the legal issues related to potential contact with extraterrestrial intelligence.

Would You Press a Button on an Extraterrestrial Gadget?

Avi Loeb·May 11, 2023

If you were to recover an extraterrestrial gadget, would you press its buttons?

Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence to Get a Boost from This Colossal Radio Array in New Mexico

Micah Hanks·May 4, 2023

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) will soon be getting help from one of the world’s largest and most powerful radio telescope arrays, as scientists continue to scour the universe for evidence of extraterrestrials and their technologies.

The Mysterious Origin of Life on Earth and Other Planets One Step Closer to Being Solved

Christopher Plain·February 13, 2023

Research into which metals were present at the time life first formed on earth is shedding new light on the possible origin of life both here and potentially on other planets.

These Are the Top 5 Places and Times Humanity is Likely to Discover Extraterrestrial Life

Christopher Plain·January 24, 2023

Here are the Top Five places humanity is most likely to find signs of extraterrestrial life and when those discoveries could take place.

This Concerning Theory May Explain Why We Haven’t Found Evidence of Intelligent Alien Life

Micah Hanks·November 14, 2022

A team of researchers argues the "Great Filter" theory could offer a concerning explanation for why astronomers have yet to find evidence of intelligent alien life.

Solar Flares Might Actually Increase Habitability of Trappist-1 Exoplanets

Christopher Plain·October 27, 2022

A new study claims solar flares may actually make the planets in Trappist-1's habitability zone even more habitable than first thought. Teams using the James Webb Space Telescope are planning to search those same planets for chemical traces of extraterrestrial life, called 'biosignatures,' in their atmospheres.