extraterrestrial life Archives

free-floating planets extraterrestrial life

“The Cradle of Life Does Not Necessarily Require a Sun “: Scientists Identify Free-Floating Planets as a Tantalizing New Target in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Christopher Plain·March 14, 2026

Moons orbiting free-floating planets that wander the cosmos without a host star could sustain extraterrestrial life for billions of years

Scientists Have Discovered a Fascinating New Way Jupiter’s Moon Europa Could Support Life

Ryan Whalen·January 26, 2026

Washington State University geophysicists offer new ideas on how Jupiter’s Moon Euro could provide for life from above.

“Exciting Implications for the Search for Life”: New Analysis of Titan Increases Chances of Finding Extraterrestrial Life

Christopher Plain·December 18, 2025

A new analysis of Saturn's moon Titan that reduced the odds of a subsurface liquid ocean has increased the chances of extraterrestrial life.

Is TRAPPIST-1e Really Habitable? New Study Suggests This Promising Candidate for Life May Be Something Else Entirely

Ryan Whalen·December 8, 2025

TRAPPIST-1e may be the long-sought-after habitable, Earth-like exoplanet astronomers have been looking for in the search for ET.

“A Top Contender for Extraterrestrial Life”: Subsurface Ocean on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Likely Stable Enough to Support Life

Christopher Plain·November 8, 2025

Temperature readings from Saturn's moon Enceladus suggests its subsurface liquid water ocean may be stable enough for life to evolve.

“This Contradicts a Rule in Chemistry”: Unexpected Discovery Reveals ‘Impossible’ Molecular Combinations Could Exist on Saturn’s Moon Titan

Ryan Whalen·October 17, 2025

Impossible molecular combinations are possible on Saturn’s moon Titan, changing our understanding the potentially life-containing body.

ESA’s Cassini Spacecraft Makes a Discovery in Enceladus Ice Jets That “Enhances the Likelihood that the Moon is Habitable”

Ryan Whalen·October 2, 2025

Pushing nearer to finding extraterrestrial life, the Cassini space probe observed new organic molecules coming from Enceladus’s ocean.

This Weird New Space Telescope Concept Could Revolutionize the Search for Alien Life

Ryan Whalen·September 1, 2025

Rethinking the shape of space telescopes may be the answer to the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing missions to detect alien life.

Is Anybody Out There? SETI Researchers Reveal Where Aliens Could Spot Earth’s Deep Space Signals

Ryan Whalen·August 23, 2025

Scientists engaged in the search for extraterrestrial life (SETI) have flipped the question on its head, providing new ideas in quest for ET.

A Secret Energy Source Once Existed on the Dwarf Planet Ceres—Could It Have Fueled Habitability?

Ryan Whalen·August 21, 2025

Deep within the dwarf planet Ceres, a chemical energy source once existed that may have made the now-cold planet habitable in the distant past.

Scientists Successfully Synthesize ‘Superalcohol’ Seed of Life Molecule in Space-Like Conditions

Christopher Plain·August 6, 2025

Scientists announce the first ever successful synthesis of a "superalcohol" seed of life molecule that could aid the search for life in space.

Cosmic Ray Discovery Suggests Extraterrestrial Life May Exist in “More Places Than We Ever Imagined”

Ryan Whalen·July 29, 2025

Cosmic rays may be enough to nourish exterrestrial life residing underground in our solar system offering to broaden the search.

Aliens, or Something Else? Astronomers Thought Life Might Exist on This Exoplanet—New James Webb Telescope Data Says Otherwise

Micah Hanks·July 25, 2025

Claims that extraterrestrial life may exist on the exoplanet K2-18b face new challenges from James Webb Space Telescope data.

aliens probably look like Europa extremophiles

“The Secret Might Be Here on Our Own Planet”: This NASA Scientist Is on a Mission to Find Out What Aliens Look Like

Christopher Plain·July 15, 2025

NASA has tasked a University of Massachusetts Amherst microbiologist who studies extremophiles with figuring out what aliens probably look like.

exoplanets extraterrestrial life interstellar contamination

‘Interstellar Contamination’ Could Change Which Exoplanets Scientists Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Christopher Plain·July 15, 2025

A new analysis of exoplanets has shown interstellar contamination from nearby stars could change where to search for extraterrestrial life.

Rethinking the Search for Extraterrestrial Life: Scientists Urge Broader Search as Exoplanet Discoveries Multiply

Ryan Whalen·June 28, 2025

New research says that the search for extraterrestrial life may be too narrow, as life could thrive in conditions far different from Earth's.

NASA Field Tests New Robot That Could Search Jupiter’s Moon Europa for Signs of Life

Ryan Whalen·May 23, 2025

A Europa Lander prototype was just successfully field tested on Alaska's Matanuska Glacier to simulate the icy conditions of Jupiter's moon.

SETI Expands the Search for Extraterrestrial Life to a Community Scientists

Ryan Whalen·April 23, 2025

The SETI Institute is bringing the search for extraterrestrial life to a broader group of budding scientists with new hands-on opportunities.

International Space Station extraterrestrial life

International Space Station to Receive “Rock Star” Tool That Could Aid in Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Christopher Plain·April 18, 2025

The International Space Station is preparing for the launch of ELVIS, a tool that could aid the search for extraterrestrial life

Life on Titan? Scientists Are Rethinking Whether Alien Life Could Thrive on Saturn’s Mysterious Icy Moon

Ryan Whalen·April 8, 2025

A new study challenges past optimism scientists have expressed about whether life could exist on Saturn's moon Titan.

In the Search for Extraterrestrial Life, This Surprising Result May Bring us Closer to a Groundbreaking Discovery

Ryan Whalen·April 7, 2025

"What if extraterrestrial life is not found?" international researchers ask, seeking to understand how negative results could aid future work.

Shimmering Caves on Earth May Hold Clues to Finding Extraterrestrial Life on Planetary Moons

Ryan Whalen·March 26, 2025

Fluorescent caves on Earth may hold the secrets to survival necessary for scientists to detect life elsewhere in the universe.

Researchers Pour Cold Water on Attempts to Detect Aqueous Alien Life on Enceladus as New Difficulties Emerge

Ryan Whalen·February 7, 2025

New research suggests that Enceladus’ subsurface ocean may trap signs of life in deep layers for thousands of years, making it unlikely that NASA’s planned plume samples will provide clear evidence of extraterrestrial organisms.

Newly Discovered Exoplanet Tests The Extremes Of Habitability With Oblong Orbit

Ryan Whalen·January 30, 2025

An exoplanet super-Earth's unusual orbit through hot and cold conditions tests the limits of tolerability for any known lifeforms.

Asteroid Bennu Samples Reveal Big Surprise Involving Building Blocks of Life

Ryan Whalen·January 29, 2025

NASA scientists discovered a plethora of precursors to life on the asteroid Bennu, demonstrating the importance of Earthbound sample-return missions.

Evidence of Ancient Hot Water on Mars Points to the Red Planet’s Potentially Habitable History

Ryan Whalen·December 12, 2024

Traces of ancient hot water on the Red Planet hint that Mars may have had a habitable past, new research reveals.

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.

Researchers Expand Search for Alien Intelligence with New Technosignatures Study of TRAPPIST-1 System

Tim McMillan·October 22, 2024

Astronomers scanned TRAPPIST-1 for alien signals, setting new detection limits in the most extensive single-target search for ETI to date.

Alien Visitation Beliefs Are “Spiraling Out of Control,” Becoming a Societal Problem, Warns Prominent Philosopher

Tim McMillan·September 26, 2024

In a recent paper, a prominent philosopher argues that increased belief in alien visitation is fast becoming a widespread societal issue.

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.

NASA’s Europa Clipper Mission May Soon Discover Alien Life. Here’s What’s Making Experts So Confident.

Christopher Plain·March 25, 2024

Laboratory experiments show a NASA mission planned for launch as soon as this October could be the first ever to detect alien lifeforms.

New Study Says Mars Wasn’t That Wet, Not a Great Contender for Alien Life

MJ Banias·March 15, 2024

A new study may prove that Mars was not as wet as we previously thought, making it more difficult for ancient alien life to have formed there.

Breakthrough Synthesis Reveals New Clues in Search for the Origins of Life

Tim McMillan·March 14, 2024

Scientists report the successful synthesis of a molecule that could play a crucial role in the search for the origins of life.

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.

Jupiter’s Moon Europa Remains Compelling in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life. Here’s Why.

MJ Banias·March 5, 2024

Jupiter's moon Europa continues to capture our imaginations in the ongoing search for extraterrestrial life.

Earth Can Be Used as a Guinea Pig to Search for Extraterrestrial Life with This New Telescope, Astronomers Say

MJ Banias·February 27, 2024

Researchers have just published a study that could advance our ability to detect extraterrestrial life, and Earth served as the guinea pig.

Astronomers May Have Figured Out How to Detect Liquid Water and Life on Exoplanets

MJ Banias·December 29, 2023

A novel technique to locate planets that could potentially harbor life uses an analysis of carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in their atmospheres.

NASA Funded Experiments Show Detecting Signs of Life in Water Ejected from Enceladus is Viable

Christopher Plain·December 6, 2023

Experiments funded by NASA show that sending a probe to Enceladus to search for extraterrestrial life is viable.

“Essential for Life” Amino Acid Found in Interstellar Space, Increasing Chances Extraterrestrial Life is Common

Christopher Plain·June 21, 2023

A Spanish researcher who has previously discovered water, carbon dioxide and other key life-supporting chemicals in an interstellar region of space where planets and stars are born says she has now found the life-supporting amino acid tryptophan in the same place.

extraterrestrial life

Discovery Will Help the Search for Extraterrestrial Life