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
'Alien' spherules dredged from the Pacific are probably just industrial pollution, new studies suggest
Last summer, a Harvard professor claimed tiny pellets of iron came from beyond our solar system. But new analyses suggest that they likely originated much closer to home.
What's the best evidence we've found for alien life?
Don't expect an alien invasion anytime soon.
Alien life may evolve from radically different elements than human life did
Radioactive metals and even certain gases may be capable of the kinds of reactions needed to spur life, new research suggests.
Scientists created AI that could detect alien life — and they're not entirely sure how it works
The new machine-learning algorithm can distinguish between biological and nonbiological samples with 90% accuracy. Exactly how is a mystery.
No aliens in NASA's debut UFO report — but big questions remain
In the agency's first public report on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), NASA experts admit "we don't know what these UAP are."
NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission almost bit the dust — then Queen guitarist Brian May stepped in
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will soon return to Earth. What's on board could reveal the extraterrestrial origins of life on Earth.
US government is hiding evidence of 'non-human intelligence', UFO whistleblower tells Congress
During a congressional hearing on Wednesday (July 26), military witnesses claimed that evidence of non-human technology is being hidden from the public.
First contact with aliens could easily end in genocide, scholars warn
SETI has been searching for evidence of alien life – but could doing so end in disaster?
