life on other planets
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Want To Find Aliens? Look For Planets That Have Become Stars
Jupiter is often referred to as a “failed star”, leading some futurists to wonder if our descendants might set it ablaze in a process called planetary stellification. A new study suggests this is indeed theoretically possible — and that we should be on the hunt for galactic aliens who have already converted their gas giants…
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Life In Red Dwarf Systems May Be Rarer Than We Thought
Red dwarfs are the most common type of star in the galaxy. But new research suggests that life within these systems may be limited, due to the stiflingly hot atmospheres on Earth-sized planets that orbit the red dwarfs.
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Mysterious Wow! Signal Came From Comets, Not Aliens, Claims Scientist
In 1977, astronomer Jerry R. Ehman observed a data signal so unique he drew a red circle around it and wrote “Wow!” to emphasise the discovery. The source of the signal was never identified, leading some to say it was aliens. But a new study suggests it wasn’t aliens at all — but rather a…
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The Many, Many Times Astronomers Mistook Mundane Phenomena For Aliens
The science world is all in a tizzy this week about the supposed discovery of an alien megastructure. It’s an intriguing theory, no doubt, but one deserving hefty amounts of scepticism. As we’ve learned before, inexplicable observations are all too often confused for aliens. Here are some classic examples.