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 “habitable zone,” often considered the gold standard of potential livability ...

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 ...

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

We might have had it wrong this whole time.

SETI thinks it could have missed calls from aliens. Here's why

New SETI research suggests space weather like solar winds could be interfering with alien radio signals, making them harder to detect.

‘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 sun-eating microbes, was rel ...

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.