Explore the scientific quest for life beyond Earth and the study of habitable worlds.
By Dr. Klaus Richter
December 25, 2025
Life on Earth is carbon-based and water-dependent. But could alien life utilize entirely different chemical foundations? We explore the theoretical possibilities and challenges for detection.
By Dr. Ingrid Larsen
September 26, 2025
Beneath the frozen, fractured surface of Jupiter's moon Europa lies a vast, global ocean of liquid saltwater. Is it habitable? NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft is on a historic journey to find out, and its discoveries could reshape our search for life beyond Earth by exploring the solar system's most promising ocean world.
By Dr. Ingrid Larsen
September 21, 2025
In a historic breakthrough, the JWST has detected key organic molecules in the atmosphere of Zelos-1b, a vast ocean exoplanet. This finding marks a new era in the search for habitable worlds beyond our solar system and raises tantalizing questions about what might lie beneath its global ocean.
Astrobiology is the interdisciplinary scientific field that studies the origins, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. It addresses the question of whether life exists beyond Earth and how we can detect it.
Prime targets for the search for microbial life in our solar system include Mars (which may have had liquid water in its past), and the subsurface oceans of icy moons like Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus.
Biosignatures are any substance, object, or pattern whose origin specifically requires a biological agent. In astrobiology, this could be complex organic molecules, certain combinations of gases in a planet's atmosphere, or even fossilized microbes.
While some projects like SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) listen for signals from intelligent civilizations, most astrobiology research is focused on finding any form of life, especially microbial life, as it is considered more likely to be common in the universe.