Topic: Extrasolar Life

When Worlds Collide
Astronomers have discovered that two terrestrial planets orbiting a distant star have recently suffered a violent collision. The new observation is unlike anything seen before, and sheds light on how interactions between planets can affect habitability.

An Interstellar Mission Scenario
Super-Earths, terrestrial planets many times the mass of Earth, have been discovered orbiting distant stars. In this essay, Ray Villard details a possible future expedition to visit one of these alien worlds in order to study the life that could exist there.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Alien Ocean
Scientists propose to find water on alien planets by looking for the glint of starlight from distant oceans.

First Contact
In the past few years, astronomers have discovered super-Earths, terrestrial planets many times the mass of Earth, orbiting distant stars. In this essay, Ray Villard discusses how we could study life forms that may exist on those alien worlds.

Earth: An Alien World
NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft has filmed the moon transiting Earth from 31 million miles away. The event is now being used to develop techniques for studying alien worlds.

Pondering "The Planet of the Apes"
In this interview, Charley Lineweaver explains how the movie “Planet of the Apes” is based on a flawed notion of evolution. Understanding this, he says, has implications for our search for life elsewhere in the universe.

Low Frequency Aliens
A new type of radio telescope may aid in the search for extraterrestrial intelligent life. The LOFAR telescope could be used to detect signals directed toward Earth, and might even pick up 'leakage radiation' from radio and TV transmitters if they're being used by civilizations around nearby stars.

Searching the Sky for Aliens
Plans are being developed to use new technology to search for possible extraterrestrial intelligence. Astronomers will scan a select portion of the sky where the likelihood of detecting signals from other worlds is thought to be more favorable.

Pulses to Find Planets
A new ultrafast laser could increase the sensitivity of astronomical tools searching for Earth-like planets by as much as 100 fold. The new technology could be a major advancement in the search for habitable extrasolar worlds.

Catching the Glint of Water
Using an optical space telescope and a mathematical method, astronomers are hoping to find Earth-like watery worlds around distant stars. Their technique may one day help astrobiologists discover another planet suitable for life as we know it.