A New Experiment Suggests Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Could Be More Hospitable to Life Than We Thought
By growing microorganisms in the lab, scientists have uncovered new support for the prospect that Saturn's moon Enceladus could harbor life.
extraterrestrial life
“Great News in the Search for Life”: Saturn’s Moon Enceladus May Be Even More Hospitable to Life Than Scientists Thought
New research suggests that Saturn’s Moon Enceladus may be more survivable and life there more detectable than previously assumed.
Scientists Discover How Extraterrestrial Life Could Thrive In the Harsh Acidic Clouds Surrounding Venus
A new theoretical kind of extraterrestrial life could survive the harsh acid clouds of Venus, according to MIT researchers.
No Sample-Return Required? Scientists Demonstrate Extraterrestrial Biosignature Detection Method Using the Mars Rover’s Existing Instruments
A new mineral-based biosignature detection method could identify signs of life on Mars using the Perseverance Rover's existing tools.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Finds Complex Carbon at Ancient Martian Site Rich in Potential Biosignatures
Evidence for possible life on Mars in the ancient past continues to build, thanks to a recent discovery by NASA’s Perseverance rover.
Scientists Warn Extraterrestrial Encounters Could Endanger Earth—a Quarantine Facility on the Moon May Be Our Last Line of Defense
Researchers say a biocontainment facility on the Moon could be humanity's last line of defense against potential future alien contamination.
Could Alien Consciousness Be Unlike Anything We Can Imagine? Non-Human Intelligence May Be Stranger Than We Think, These Experts Say
Consciousness may arise in systems far different than the biology on Earth we are used to, according to new research.
“There are Shortcomings in Recognizing the Existence of Life”: Astrobiologists Warn of Gaps in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Signs of extraterrestrial life may have been ignored by researchers for decades, say a team of astrobiologists.
A Statistical ‘Fingerprint’ Could Reveal Alien Life Detectable by Current Spacecraft
Alien life could be leaving a statistical signature detectable in the molecular data already collected by spacecraft, new research suggests.
Scientists Propose New Way to Detect Alien Life Using Planetary Patterns
Searching for alien life by looking for specific signals from individual planets may overlook a larger pattern, new research suggests.
SETI Institute Launches Discovery and Futures Lab to Explore Humanity’s Response to Life Beyond Earth
The SETI Institute’s new Discovery and Futures Lab is expanding the search for life beyond Earth, uniting science, ethics, and society to prepare for potential contact.
Scientists Reveal Organic Matter “Preserved on Mars for 3.5 Billion Years” in First-of-Its-Kind Study
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has found chemicals linked to the rise of life on Earth, in a first-of-its-kind experiment on the Red Planet.
“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
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
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
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
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
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
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”
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
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
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?
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
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”
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
Claims that extraterrestrial life may exist on the exoplanet K2-18b face new challenges from James Webb Space Telescope data.
“The Secret Might Be Here on Our Own Planet”: This NASA Scientist Is on a Mission to Find Out What Aliens Look Like
NASA has tasked a University of Massachusetts Amherst microbiologist who studies extremophiles with figuring out what aliens probably look like.
‘Interstellar Contamination’ Could Change Which Exoplanets Scientists Search for Extraterrestrial Life
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
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
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
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 to Receive “Rock Star” Tool That Could Aid in Search for Extraterrestrial Life
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
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
"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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
Experiments funded by NASA show that sending a probe to Enceladus to search for extraterrestrial life is viable.