Which telescope will be the first to find extraterrestrial life? Scientists have some ideas

A look into the future of exoplanet science suggests the coming European extremely large telescope (ELT) will give us the best chance of detecting nearby biosignatures over the next twenty years rocky worlds orbiting other stars. That’s the conclusion of a new study that simulated what it would take to characterize worlds beyond our solar … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope could probe ‘carbon-lite’ exoplanet atmospheres in search of alien life

When it comes to detecting the presence of liquid water on planets outside the solar system, and thus the conditions necessary for life, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may want to look for what’s missing rather than what is is. This is what that means. A team of researchers, including scientists from the Massachusetts … Read more