[SETI Institute]. The question of how life originated and whether it exists elsewhere in the universe has fascinated humanity for centuries. Now, ETH Zurich and the SETI Institute in California […]
SETI Institute
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
JWST Reveals A Race Against Time For Forming Planets
[SETI Institute] Planets form from disks of gas and dust around young stars, but the gas needed for growth does not last forever. New observations from NASA’s James Webb Space […]
Posted inMissions & Hardware
Planetary Recon: Interworld Slingshot Resource Surveys
[NASA] This proposal explores a new class of reconnaissance spacecraft that map minerals from orbit using Raman spectroscopy during high-speed flybys–without landing, sample return, or extended dwell. Editor’s note: for […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Welcoming The Virtual Planetary Laboratory To Its New Home At The SETI Institute
[SETI Institute] The Virtual Planetary Laboratory (VPL), one of NASA’s flagship astrobiology research teams, has officially moved its institutional home to the SETI Institute. In 2026 the VPL will also […]
![[SETI Institute] On the morning of July 20, 1976, roughly 40 minutes after mission controllers received word that the Viking 1 lander had successfully touched down on the surface of Mars, this photo gave us our first view from the surface of the Red Planet. NASA/JPL larger image](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/50-Years.png?resize=1200%2C460&ssl=1)
Posted inMars
50 Years After Viking 1: The Mission That Changed The Search For Life On Mars
[SETI Institute] For thousands of years, Mars has inspired myths, speculation and scientific curiosity. Fifty years ago today, humanity took a major step toward understanding our neighboring world when Viking […]
![The New jersey meteorite -- [SETI Institute]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ALien-World.png?resize=1200%2C900&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Alien World Chemistry Found Inside A Meteorite that Struck A New Jersey Home
[SETI Institute] On July 16, 2024 a daytime meteor shook New York City with a sonic boom as it passed just south of the Statue of Liberty. Now, an international […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Education and Outreach, Intelligence & Language, Policy, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Updated Rules for Evaluating and Revealing the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intelligence
The IAA SETI Committee announced today updated rules for evaluating and revealing the detection of extraterrestrial intelligence.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures
SETI Institute Looks for Signs of Technology in Interstellar Visitor 3I/ATLAS
Scientists at the SETI Institute searched for technological signals from 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object observed in our Solar System.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Life Support Systems, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, People Of Astrobiology, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report 16 March 2026: Spring Field Season Completed; Preparing The Fall Field Season
Hi Keith, The team and I have been home for about two weeks now, settling back into the familiar rhythms of home and work after our time in Antarctica. Our […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Life Support Systems, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Antarctica’s Untersee – A Most Unusual Lake
Scientists estimate that Earth is home to more than 100 million lakes. Among the most unusual is Lake Untersee, one of Antarctica’s largest and deepest surface lakes, known for its […]