14 July 2021
To become an interplanetary species, we may have to genetically engineer ourselves to be more resilient, says geneticist Chris Mason. He has a 500-year plan for life away from Earth
5 May 2021
Looking for signs of life in exoplanet atmospheres is fraught with uncertainty. But now that we can detect polarised light reflected directly off other worlds, we could spot unmistakable evidence of photosynthesis
26 August 2020
From rogue worlds that roam the cosmos alone to Tatooines that orbit two suns, astronomers are expanding our definition of habitable exoplanets
13 February 2019
Katie Paterson's biggest art show yet gives gallery-goers a tantalising taste of space and time at a cosmic scale
24 July 2017
On watery worlds that lack days and nights because one face always points toward their star, tides may help life emerge – and algal blooms might be the giveaway
10 May 2017
Human clones, a colony on Mars, alien contact... what world-changing breakthroughs will come in the next decade? We asked the experts – with some surprising results
