Smithsonian Magazine

Alien Life Could Look Nothing Like What We Expect. Here’s How Microbes Beyond Earth Might Live Without Liquid Water

Like the lead character of “Project Hail Mary,” some scientists are proposing ways that life might exist beyond a star’s ...

The best places to look for alien life: Scientists identify 45 Earth-like worlds to explore for a 'Project Hail Mary'

If we're to find extraterrestrial life in the universe, astronomers have pinpointed the best places to look for it. They have ...

We’re Using Giant Freakin’ Lasers To Probe Alien Planets

Alien planets are far away but extreme lasers on Earth are giving scientists a way to investigate what they're like.

Scientists Propose a Radical New Method To Find Alien Life

Assembly Theory shifts the search for life from identifying specific molecules to measuring chemical complexity, offering a ...

‘Project Hail Mary’ explores unique forms of life in space – 5 essential reads on searching for aliens that look nothing like life on Earth

“Project Hail Mary,” the movie adaptation to Andy Weir’s 2021 novel about a science teacher attempting to save the Earth from ...

“Project Hail Mary” – These 45 Exoplanets Could Be Home to Alien Life, Scientists Say

This artistic illustration shows the TRAPPIST-1 red dwarf star system, home to seven Earth-sized exoplanets, several of which ...

A Study Suggests Aliens Aren’t Little Green Men. They’re Purple People Eaters.

We might have had it wrong this whole time.
New Scientist

Chemistry clues could detect aliens unlike any life on Earth

A new method to recognise the chemical properties of living things could help us detect alien life even if it functions differently from life on Earth. When searching for alien life, scientists ...

How accurate is the science in Project Hail Mary?

The much-anticipated sci-fi film Project Hail Mary is out in theaters today. In it, light-eating alien microbes sap the sun’s ...