Extraterrestrial life news, features and articles
Latest about Extraterrestrial Life
![High-energy gamma-rays glow purple in this NASA image of a distant galaxy. Looking for purple-hued exoplanets may help scientists find signs of extreme alien life, new research suggests.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BQZqkg5ExQ9hLcPoHzdTpN-320-80.jpg)
Purple bacteria could be key to finding extraterrestrial life on exoplanets
By Stephanie Pappas published
On many exoplanets, the best clue that life is present may be a purple hue. New research into some of Earth's most extreme bacteria explains why.
![A microscopic metal ball slitters with various elements](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jyq5QULaJKuV38dqAp9e29-320-80.jpg)
Seismic reading linked to 'alien technology' by Harvard professor likely came from a passing truck, study claims
By Ben Turner published
Avi Loeb has suggested that metallic spherules found at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean could have alien origins. But a new study suggests he may have been misled by a seismometer that picked up the rumbles of a passing truck.
![Aerial view of a military building, The Pentagon, Washington DC, USA.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/28Czj7BUgiKY5shekU9XLM-320-80.jpg)
US government wanted to reverse-engineer alien ships — but never found any, Pentagon UFO report reveals
By Ben Turner published
A long-awaited Pentagon report says there is "no verifiable evidence" of the U.S. government encountering or concealing evidence of alien life.
![Photograph of a large whale tail as it breaches through the water.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UYrZFPMyw9XWw6wjYxgVBe-320-80.jpg)
World's 1st 'conversation' between humans and whales could help us talk to aliens someday, scientists claim
By Samantha Mathewson published
Researchers are studying humpback whale communication systems to learn how to detect and interpret extraterrestrial signals from outer space.
![Three galactic swirls among stars against a black sky.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Nj8cfTCwWPbGPPtVnpoEAC-320-80.jpg)
Scientists are searching for alien signals at frequencies never studied before
By Owen Johnson published
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) continues as scientists look to low-frequency radio waves that have long gone unexplored.
![A microscopic metal ball slitters with various elements](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jyq5QULaJKuV38dqAp9e29-320-80.jpg)
'Alien' spherules dredged from the Pacific are probably just industrial pollution, new studies suggest
By Joanna Thompson published
Last summer, a Harvard professor claimed tiny pellets of iron came from beyond our solar system. But new analyses suggest that they likely originated much closer to home.
![An illustration of a green and blue planet in space with light shining on it.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nb5Jep3eFRYgCkk6wboxRd-320-80.jpg)
What's the best evidence we've found for alien life?
By Patrick Pester published
Don't expect an alien invasion anytime soon.
![Life requires repetition of chemical reactions. Describing the kinds of reactions and conditions required for self-sustaining repetition — called autocatalysis — could focus the search for life on other planets.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WntpM3BTWwGmTt8nE9zpsj-320-80.jpg)
Alien life may evolve from radically different elements than human life did
By Charles Q. Choi published
Radioactive metals and even certain gases may be capable of the kinds of reactions needed to spur life, new research suggests.
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