Why sending messages to extraterrestrials is controversial
24 May 2023
If there are intelligent aliens out there, should we try to get in touch with them? And who should speak for Earth, asks professor of astronomy Chris Impey
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Premium
Space rock or flashy alien technology? We're going to find out
10 February 2023
Science is filled with imagined realities – beliefs that will turn out to be untrue – and the idea that interstellar objects are simply rocks could be one of them, writes physicist Avi Loeb
Earth's algae and moss could survive under the light of another star
21 September 2022
Experiments on Earth mimicking the rays from a red dwarf star show that cyanobacteria, algae and moss can grow under these light conditions, backing the idea that some exoplanets could host life
Enceladus shown to have all six of the essential elements for life
21 September 2022
Reanalysis of icy rock grains from a ring of Saturn – fed by ice plumes from its moon Enceladus – has revealed the presence of phosphorus, the only key essential element for life that hadn’t already been spotted
Group that wants to contact aliens will transmit to TRAPPIST-1 system
12 April 2022
METI, an organisation aiming to make contact with other civilisations, will send out its second message from Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station in Cornwall, UK
Scientists want to play chess with aliens as soon as we can find them
6 April 2022
Scientists have designed a new message to spark conversation with alien civilisations, and that suggest a game of chess could keep the discussion going
Mars may have been habitable millions of years later than we thought
2 February 2022
Analysis of minerals in a Martian meteorite suggest that the planet may have begun to be hospitable for life 30 million years later than previously thought
Bacteria survive extremes that may have existed in ancient Mars lakes
28 January 2022
Microorganisms have adapted to one of the harshest environments on Earth, a sulphurous and acidic lake that is considered an analogue to ancient lakes on Mars
Maps of planetary nurseries will help the complex hunt for alien life
20 September 2021
Five planetary nurseries have been chemically mapped in the most detail ever, showing hints of unexpected variety and high concentrations of the chemicals required for life
Martian cave entrances may offer a life-friendly radiation shield
26 August 2021
The surface of Mars is bombarded with far more dangerous radiation than Earth, but the area just inside caves may shield from UV rays while providing just enough light for life
