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Aliens

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.

Related Topics: Planets, Robots, Astronauts, Paranormal

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alien world artist illustration

To find intelligent alien life, humans may need to start thinking like an extraterrestrial

By Adam Mann

Anthropologist reveals a potentially big flaw in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).

Aidan Gillen returns in the second season of "Project Blue Book," as UFO investigator Dr. J. Allen Hynek.

Were alien secrets hidden in Roswell and Area 51? 'Project Blue Book' UFO hunters investigate.

By Mindy Weisberger

A search for the truth behind UFO sightings leads to the discovery of government cover-ups.

Close encounters with our future selves?

UFOs May Be Piloted by Time-Traveling Humans, Book Argues

By Leonard David

The great distances covered by visiting "aliens" may be ones of time rather than space, a recent book argues.

Alien spaceships in warped space.

Could Invisible Aliens Really Exist Among Us?

By Samantha Rolfe

An astrobiologist explains how alien life could exist and we wouldn't notice it.

In 2017, a video of the Nimitz UFO encounter was publicly released.

Top-Secret UFO Files Could 'Gravely Damage' US National Security if Released, Navy Says

By Brandon Specktor

The US Navy confirmed they have secret, classified documents regarding a 2004 UFO encounter, but releasing them could 'gravely damage' national security.

An artist's rendering shows a flying saucer descending into the woods at night.

Thousands of Government UFO Reports Now Available at Canadian University

By Brandon Specktor

A private UFO enthusiast has donated his collection of 30,000 documents to the University of Manitoba in Canada. The truth is in there.

The SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array (ATA) searches our galaxy for radio signals from potential intelligent alien life.

Will 2020 Be the Year We Find Intelligent Alien Life?

By Leonard David

Is 2020 the celestial payoff year, in which astronomers finally confirm a "technosignature" coming from an advanced alien civilization?

A professor at the University of Ohio claims that the Martian landscape might be littered with insect and reptile-like life-forms. However, other scientists refute this claim.

It's Still Not Aliens: 'Mars Bug' Claim Could Damage the Search for Life

By Chelsea Gohd

A professor suggests there are insects on Mars, but this questionable claim could hurt the search for life, experts say.

What would it be like to find signs of life beyond Earth?

Before We Find Aliens, Humans Need to Figure Ourselves Out, Anthropologist Says

By Meghan Bartels

Humans have questions about alien life. But those beings, if they exist, likely have some questions of their own about humans, queries we may want to answer before we find any life beyond Earth.

An artist's impression of the Black Knight satellite. The spacecraft has sparked a long-lived conspiracy theory.

The Black Knight Satellite: A Hodgepodge of Alien Conspiracy Theories

By David Crookes, All About Space magazine

Some think it could be an extraterrestrial spacecraft — but is it?

SETI's Allen Telescope Array

How Long Will It Take to Find Proof of Alien Life?

By Meghan Bartels

How long until we find evidence of life beyond Earth? If a panel of experts is on track with their estimates, it may be sooner than you think.

Artist's illustration of HD 21749c, the first Earth-size planet found by NASA's Transiting Exoplanets Survey Satellite, as well as its sibling, HD 21749b, a warm sub-Neptune-sized world.

NASA Teams Up with $100 Million Breakthrough Listen Project to Search for Intelligent Aliens

By Mike Wall

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk reveals new details about Starship Mk, the company's enormous reusable launch system, and talks aliens in Boca Chica, Texas on September 28, 2019.

Elon Musk Doesn't Know Where the Aliens Are (So, Stop Asking)

By Chelsea Gohd

At a recent event in Boca Chica, Texas, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirms that, to his knowledge, we haven't yet discovered aliens.

The cratered south pole of the moon can be seen in this image taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Could the Moon Act As a Fishing Net for Extraterrestrial Life?

By Abraham Loeb

The moon's surface could act as a fishing net for extraterrestrial life, preserving the remains of organisms or even technology from beyond our solar system.

planet and moon system

Could E.T. Have Bugged a Space Rock to Listen In on Earthlings?

By Stephanie Pappas

Mysterious objects trapped in Earth's orbit could be a place to look for alien surveillance technology.

Advanced Alien Civilizations May Produce 'Technosignatures' That We Could Find, Experts Say

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

If life evolved the same way elsewhere in the cosmos as it did on our planet, could we find it by the technological traces such civilizations might leave behind?

conceptual drawing of a spaceship on alien world

Scientists Are Building a Real-Life Version of the Starship Enterprise's Life Scanner

By Adam Mann

A novel method relying on biochemistry could provide an unambiguous signal of life on other worlds.

A green planet and moon.

We Could Detect Extraterrestrials Because They May Glow, Scientists Say

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Whole planets may be covered with glowing red, blue and green life-forms.

U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, shown here at a press conference in June 2019, has pledged to share any details about UFOs if he wins the 2020 election.

Bernie Sanders Pledges to Release Any Info About Aliens If He's Elected in 2020

By Elizabeth Howell

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (D-VT) says he's prepared to disclose government information about UFOs if he wins in 2020.

Alien spaceship in night sky clouds.

No E.T. Life Yet? Here's Why That's Important.

By Kelsey Johnson

The search for intelligent aliens has time and again come up empty. Perhaps that means they aren't out there.