Aliens
![Intelligent Aliens: Artist's Illustration](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/idzyPDTtTT7KgXJoTpmuoG-320-80.jpg)
Aliens can refer to everything from little green men in the sci-fi realm to microscopic life forms beyond Earth. For all these possibilities, Live Science has you covered. We break down the latest discoveries that hint at life on other planets and the state of scientific searches for such extraterrestrial life. Sometimes, we may dissect a "little green man" sighting as well.
Latest about Extraterrestrial Life
![A photo of Europa](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8UCHbxCWVWiCU8o55LEppM-320-80.jpg)
If alien life exists on Europa, we may find it in hydrothermal vents
By Keith Cooper published
If there's life on Jupiter's moon Europa or Saturn's moon Enceladus, it could have a network of deep-sea hydrothermal vents to thank for its existence, new research suggests.
![A NASA satellite image of the sky, with a hot, dusty galaxy circled in magenta](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pjCgXoDuVfAQV5SRzErjP8-320-80.jpg)
7 potential 'alien megastructures' spotted in our galaxy are not what they seem
By Paul Sutter published
Scientists recently identified seven stars in the Milky Way that could potentially be gigantic alien structures called Dyson spheres. New research proposes an alternative explanation: Those are just cosmic "hot DOGs" in disguise.
![An artist's rendering of menacing alien monsters standing in a forest](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAyRYAfv9RPmAkpdrGHTdF-320-80.jpg)
What could aliens look like?
By Sarah Wells published
The search for alien life is one of humanity's greatest missions, but it may look nothing like anything we've seen on Earth.
![This computer-simulated image shows a supermassive black hole at the core of a galaxy. The black region in the center represents the black hole’s event horizon, where no light can escape the massive object’s gravitational grip. The black hole’s powerful gravity distorts space around it like a funhouse mirror. Light from background stars is stretched and smeared as the stars skim by the black hole.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GjruzeoQ2bgwSpf8pDEjk8-320-80.jpg)
32 strange places scientists are looking for aliens
By Isobel Whitcomb published
From planets and moons in our solar system to dying stars and parallel universes, here are some of the far-out places scientists are searching for alien life.
![An illustration of a large blue planet in the foreground and a small red one in the background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LcmCVkv7Cwn3UQjfThB2TX-320-80.jpg)
No, the James Webb Space Telescope probably didn't detect signs of alien life — but it soon could
By Brandon Specktor published
The James Webb Space Telescope's possible detection of biological chemicals on the exoplanet K2-18b may just have been methane gas, a new study cautions. Planned follow-up observations could solve the mystery for good.
![A dust devil dances across a crater eroded by gullies in Noachis Terra, Mars. The gullies are thought to have been eroded by liquid water flowing on Mars in geologically recent times.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jZjVWk5jzAAaooSFuSLB6A-320-80.jpg)
Aliens may be hitching rides on meteors to colonize the cosmos, study suggests. Here's how we could spot them.
By Paul Sutter published
A fringe theory called "panspermia" suggests that lifeforms can spread to new planets by hitching rides on meteors. New research lays out a roadmap for finding where these hypothetical, planet-hopping aliens may reside.
![High-energy gamma-rays glow purple in this NASA image of a distant galaxy. Looking for purple-hued exoplanets may help scientists find signs of extreme alien life, new research suggests.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BQZqkg5ExQ9hLcPoHzdTpN-320-80.jpg)
Purple bacteria could be key to finding extraterrestrial life on exoplanets
By Stephanie Pappas published
On many exoplanets, the best clue that life is present may be a purple hue. New research into some of Earth's most extreme bacteria explains why.
![A microscopic metal ball slitters with various elements](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jyq5QULaJKuV38dqAp9e29-320-80.jpg)
Seismic reading linked to 'alien technology' by Harvard professor likely came from a passing truck, study claims
By Ben Turner published
Avi Loeb has suggested that metallic spherules found at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean could have alien origins. But a new study suggests he may have been misled by a seismometer that picked up the rumbles of a passing truck.
![Aerial view of a military building, The Pentagon, Washington DC, USA.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/28Czj7BUgiKY5shekU9XLM-320-80.jpg)
US government wanted to reverse-engineer alien ships — but never found any, Pentagon UFO report reveals
By Ben Turner published
A long-awaited Pentagon report says there is "no verifiable evidence" of the U.S. government encountering or concealing evidence of alien life.
![Photograph of a large whale tail as it breaches through the water.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UYrZFPMyw9XWw6wjYxgVBe-320-80.jpg)
World's 1st 'conversation' between humans and whales could help us talk to aliens someday, scientists claim
By Samantha Mathewson published
Researchers are studying humpback whale communication systems to learn how to detect and interpret extraterrestrial signals from outer space.
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