Latest about exoplanets
What could aliens look like?
The search for alien life is one of humanity's greatest missions, but it may look nothing like anything we've seen on Earth.
Real-life 'Star Trek' planet was actually just an illusion caused by a 'jittery' star
New research shows that a planet spotted around the real-life star 40 Eridani A, famous for hosting Dr. Spock's fictional home world in 'Star Trek', may have been an optical illusion all along.
32 strange places scientists are looking for aliens
From planets and moons in our solar system to dying stars and parallel universes, here are some of the far-out places scientists are searching for alien life.
No, the James Webb Space Telescope probably didn't detect signs of alien life — but it soon could
The James Webb Space Telescope's possible detection of biological chemicals on the exoplanet K2-18b may just have been methane gas, a new study cautions. Planned follow-up observations could solve the mystery for good.
Aliens may be hitching rides on meteors to colonize the cosmos, study suggests. Here's how we could spot them.
A fringe theory called "panspermia" suggests that lifeforms can spread to new planets by hitching rides on meteors. New research lays out a roadmap for finding where these hypothetical, planet-hopping aliens may reside.
Purple bacteria could be key to finding extraterrestrial life on exoplanets
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.
Strange light spotted over distant 'hell planet' may be 1st rainbow 'glory' found beyond our solar system
New data suggest that exoplanet WASP-76 b could harbor a massive, rainbow-colored light show known as a "glory." Until now, this phenomenon has been seen only within our solar system.
Rare 'super-diamonds' may already exist on other planets, and could be made on Earth, study hints
A simulated form of carbon called BC8, or 'super-diamond', could be 30% tougher than normal diamonds, but synthesizing it on Earth won't be easy.
'Mathematically perfect' star system being investigated for potential alien technology
A distant star system housing 6 planets that move in 'mathematically perfect' orbits has ignited a search for possible alien technosignatures.
James Webb telescope makes ultra-rare detection of 2 planets orbiting dead stars
The James Webb Space Telescope has detected two alien planets orbiting white dwarfs, the collapsed husks of once-mighty stars. The discovery offers a hint of what our solar system will look like after the sun's eventual demise.
