While there is no concrete evidence of life beyond Earth, many scientists say the possibility is likely. Researchers continue to search for signs of extraterrestrial life by studying other planets and moons, particularly their atmospheres, in search of conditions that could support life. There's no telling what's out there, and if aliens exist, they could range from creatures as simple as tiny organisms to other complex beings with technologically advanced civilizations. Explore our findings on aliens, from scientific research on the topic to famous accounts of claimed sightings.
Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.
Orson Welles' realistic radio dramatization of a Martian invasion of Earth, called “The War of the Worlds,” caused quite a stir with audiences. The broadcast resulted in panic, with some people in the area of the story attempting to flee. It also helped Welles secure a contract with a Hollywood studio, leading to the creation of "Citizen Kane."
Humans tend to imagine aliens as humanlike, but that's probably unlikely. From small space spiders to metallic carnivores, it's difficult to imagine what life would be like on other planets, and how we could interact with it.
The father of modern linguistics argued there is a genetic component to language, and the ability to acquire and comprehend language is innate. If aliens existed, he believed they could potentially observe the same "universal grammar" rules as humans.
In the 17th century, Galileo's observations suggested the moon could be inhabited, leading to fictional speculations about lunar life. In the 19th century, stories were published claiming the discovery of various creatures, including human-bats. The Apollo missions in the 20th century explored the possibility of life there, but further exploration showed this idea to be less likely than before.
The film series created by James Cameron raises several interesting questions about whether certain technological advancements are feasible, and if extraterrestrial life could thrive on a moon orbiting a distant gas giant. While Pandora, the moon that the Na'vi people live on, could in theory exist, it's unlikely that its residents would be so human-like.
From the most shocking accounts of abductions and UFO sightings to an interview with a Harvard professor about these claims, dive into fascinating stories about run-ins with ETs that have continued to be told for decades.
While TV and films offer common tropes for why aliens would invade Earth, many of those reasons aren't actually feasible. For example, a species with technology advanced enough to allow them to travel between planets likely doesn't need to enslave flawed humans to carry out their labor.
Could aliens destroy us from light-years away? The team at Kurzgesagt imagines the impact of a highly sophisticated alien civilization setting out to crush humanity and considers the real-world logistics for warfare conducted across the universe.
Researcher Zecharia Sitchin proposed that Sumerian cuneiform tablets revealed that Sumerian gods were aliens who landed on Earth in Mesopotamia, and influenced the creation of modern humans. While his ideas gained cultural interest, they are widely rejected by mainstream scholars.
The Fermi Paradox addresses this discrepancy between the lack of evidence of alien life despite the high likelihood of its existence. Physicist Brian Cox offers various theories, like the extinguished civilizations hypothesis, for why we have never found any extraterrestrial neighbors.