Comment and
Space
Whenever there’s even a slight chance that an exoplanet shows signs of biological activity, people understandably get excited – but it’s never been aliens, and we shouldn’t jump to conclusions, not this time or the next, says Chris Lintott
Real aliens may not be so obvious, if we ever find them
Naeblys/Alamy
If you’re the kind of person who keeps an eye on astronomical news – or glances at any news site – you may have seen a story about hints of a sign of alien life on an exoplanet called K2-18b. The claim is controversial, but much of the coverage was positive. The problem, I think, is Star Trek, or any other science fiction you might care to mention. Thanks to the budgets that govern television, we’re used to aliens being obvious; they’re usually about 6 feet…
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