Astrobiology

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From the vastness of space, Earth at night reveals its exo-earth beauty, with illuminated continents showcasing a tapestry of lights across North and South America. Major cities and regions emerge from the glowing darkness, painting a vivid picture against the backdrop of oceans.
Starts With A Bang
The search for alien life must heed this lesson from Stephen King
In 2025, Earth remains the only planet where life is known to exist. Without a second example, "The Stand" has a vital lesson to teach us.
Ethan Siegel
Two hands, one light and one dark, each holding a contrastingly colored molecular structure against a gradient background.
The Past
“Mirror life” and the recurring nightmare of scientific apocalypse
The fear of unleashing forces beyond control has haunted science for centuries.
Thomas Moynihan
Two large Martian rocks with circular drill holes and light-colored dust are shown on a sandy, rocky surface. Part of a rover’s equipment, searching for traces of organics or signs of Mars life, is visible at the bottom of the image.
Starts With A Bang
Finding organics on Mars means absolutely nothing for life
The red planet, Mars, may once have been teeming with life, just as Earth is today. Finding "organics" on Mars, however, doesn't mean life.
Ethan Siegel
A dark, rocky planet orbits in space with the sun illuminating its edge, surrounded by stars and distant cosmic clouds.
Starts With A Bang
JWST could expose alien biosignatures on hazy exoplanets
The most common type of exoplanet is neither Earth-sized nor Neptune-sized, but in between. Could these haze-rich worlds house alien life?
Ethan Siegel
Microscopic view of a single-celled organism with a translucent body and clustered orange structures inside, set against a plain background.
Hard Science
What exactly is “life”? Astrobiologists still have more questions than answers
Our Earthbound definitions of life could leave us blind to the Universe’s strangest forms.
Dirk Schulze-Makuch
A dark, rocky planet orbits in space with the sun illuminating its edge, surrounded by stars and distant cosmic clouds.
Starts With A Bang
Starts With A Bang podcast #120 – Exoplanet biosignatures
In the search for life in the Universe, the ultimate goal is to find an inhabited planet beyond Earth. How will we know when we've made it?
Ethan Siegel
Black and white illustration of a stylized human eye in the top left and a detailed depiction of an eyeball’s internal structure in the bottom right on a beige background.
2mins
The Well
What NASA is really looking for in space
We may be close to finding life beyond Earth. But would we even recognize it if we did? Astrobiologist Betül Kaçar explains what signs NASA is looking for.
Betül Kaçar 
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