Life
Articles, research, and analysis on Mars life.
The Search for Life on Mars: From Viking to Sample Return
How the hunt for Martian life evolved from the ambiguous Viking experiments of 1976 to the sample-caching mission underway today.
What Is a Biosignature? How Scientists Detect Life
Biosignatures are the traces life leaves behind — from atmospheric gases to microscopic structures. Here is how scientists hunt for them.
SETI: The Search for Intelligent Life
For over sixty years, SETI has scanned the skies for signals from alien civilizations. Here is how it works and what it…
The Drake Equation: Estimating Alien Civilizations
The Drake equation is not a formula for an answer, but a framework for asking the right questions about how many alien…
The Fermi Paradox: If Aliens Exist, Where Is Everyone?
The galaxy is old and vast, and should be full of civilizations. So why do we see no sign of them? That…
Technosignatures: Looking for Alien Technology
Beyond radio signals, scientists now search for any detectable evidence of alien technology — from megastructures to industrial pollution.
Beyond Mars: Ocean Worlds and the Search for Life
Mars is not the only place in the solar system that might harbor life. Beneath the ice of distant moons lie vast…
Extremophiles: What Earth's Toughest Life Tells Us About Alien Life
Life on Earth survives in boiling acid, deep ice, and total darkness. These extremophiles reshape what we think is possible for life…