• Question: Is there any proof of life on other planets?

    Asked by marinebio1213 to Ed, Hayley, Jason, Nathan, Sophie on 12 Mar 2013. This question was also asked by danylok59931, elio, iluvnibbley456, mikunandluke, marta01.
    • Photo: Hayley Evers-King

      Hayley Evers-King answered on 12 Mar 2013:

      Not yet, but scientists are working hard to find it. One of the most interesting things in science is trying to find out what might give us a hint that life has existed, so we know where to look. Things like liquid water and certain gases in the atmosphere are very characteristic of life on Earth, but would these things be present on other worlds where life might be very different?

    • Photo: Edward Bovill

      Edward Bovill answered on 13 Mar 2013:

      Astronomers are constantly looking for other star systems that are similar enough to our own that they could support life.
      There is a very specific set of conditions that have led to life on Earth. Earth is just far enough away from the sun that we are at the right temperature for water to be liquid (most of the time), which is essential for life as we know it. Any closer and it would be too hot and water would boil, and too much further away and it would be too cold and water would freeze. The distance where Earth is is called the Goldilocks Zone as it’s not too hot or too cold, but just right.
      At the moment, scientists have been using the Kepler space observatory (a fancy telescope in space) to look for other planets in the milky way. This January, they estimated that there are over 17 billion Earth sized planets in the milky way alone. One of these planets, with the very catchy name KOI-172.0, is apparently in the Goldilock’s Zone around its star and is currently the best bet for finding alien life in our galaxy so far.

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