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.
Area 51 is a highly-classified US military facility located in Nevada. Because of its remote location and secrecy, many Americans have speculated that the location hosts aliens. However, critics of this theory believe the UFO sightings are actually just military aircraft.
There's a chance that human civilization arrived before any other life, and aliens will soon emerge. If this is the case, there's also a chance for a competition to rule the universe.
Around 50 BCE, Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius shared Greek philosopher Epicurus’s ideas about the potential of alien life. The writing is believed to be the first straightforward assertion in Western literature that aliens must exist.
The Pentagon made a splash in recent years with revelations of videos showing fighter pilots observing unknown aerial objects. Lindsey uncovers stories of still-unverified UFO sightings and addresses the likely possibility of life beyond Earth.
The hunt for extraterrestrial life is often associated with traveling far into the depths of space for clues. But answers could be closer than we think. Modern space missions have demonstrated our capability of sending probes beyond the solar system, making it plausible that other civilizations could do the same.
A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51. They Can't Stop All of Us," spawning countless memes. Millions marked themselves as "going," and seven were arrested at a gate into the area. It also inspired a music festival attended by more than 7,000 people.
Developed in 1961 as part of the Search for Extra-Terrerestrial Intelligence initiative, the formula incorporates several estimated values, including the rate of star formation in the galaxy and the fraction of stars with planets.
The 21st century has introduced advances making telescopes, cameras, and computers powerful enough to detect the presence of molecules associated with biological processes in distant atmospheres, expanding the search for life to include unreachable worlds.
The field incorporates observational missions to find and classify exoplanets—planets orbiting stars besides the sun—the probing of Earth's most extreme environments to learn what conditions allow life to exist, and theoretical and lab work to identify and analyze potential biochemical signatures.
Recovered from Antarctica in 1984, ALH84001 contained organic compounds, magnetite and iron sulfide grains of potential biological origin, and features that resembled fossilized bacteria. With technological advancements, scientists found abiotic origins for these features in the following decades.