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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"Wow!" signal printout

Famous 'alien' Wow! signal may have come from distant, sunlike star

By Adam Mann published

An astronomer proposes that the sun-like star 2MASS 19281982-2640123 is the origin of the Wow! Signal

U.S. Navy videos of alleged UFO sightings were previously available but had not been officially declassified.

Footage of hypersonic metallic UFO shown by Pentagon officials at historic hearing

By Ben Turner published

Pentagon officials speaking at the first public hearing on UFOs since the 1960s have shown previously classified footage of an unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP).

A government employee photographed a UFO that hovered for 15 minutes near Holloman Air Development Center in New Mexico, on Dec.16, 1957.

Watch live: Pentagon UFO sightings will finally be publicly aired at today's Congressional hearing

By Ben Turner published

The U.S. Congress is set to hold its first public hearing on UFOs since the 1960s on Tuesday (May 17). Here's what to expect.

The moon looms in the foreground, with a small Earth in the background.

US gov't report proposed nuking the moon, newly released documents reveal

By Brandon Specktor published

The U.S. government’s UFO program, AATIP, was funding secret research into invisibility, wormholes, and antigravity, newly released documents reveal.

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

Is it time to send another message to intelligent aliens? Some scientists think so.

By Stephanie Pappas published

Scientists have crafted a new message for intelligent extraterrestrials

The reported effects of UFO encounters include nightmares, perceptions of levitation, and "unaccounted for pregnancy."

UFOs left 'radiation burns' and 'unaccounted for pregnancies,' new Pentagon report claims

By Brandon Specktor published

1,500 pages of UFO related research has been declassified by the US government following a FOIA request by The Sun

The circular structure seen in Google Earth images off the coast of Peru is raising cries of "UFO."

Odd circular shape beneath the ocean in Google Earth images is probably not aliens

By Stephanie Pappas published

A weird circular shape on Google Earth has ocean-floor UFO hunters crying "alien."

The Milky Way galaxy

4th search for aliens near Milky Way's center comes up empty

By Stephanie Pappas published

A hunt for signs of extraterrestrial technology near the center of the Milky Way has found no evidence of alien civilization.

A government employee photographed a UFO that hovered for 15 minutes near Holloman Air Development Center in New Mexico, on Oct.16, 1957.

Pentagon launches new UFO office. Not all believers are happy about it.

By Stephanie Pappas published

The U.S. government will officially investigate UFOs with a new office based in the Pentagon.

Two aircraft reported seeing a bright green UFO over Canada in July 2021.

9 things we learned about aliens in 2021

By Brandon Specktor published

A bombshell UFO report, the "alien junk" in our solar system, and more new clues about extraterrestrial life.

The Fermi Paradox asks where are the aliens?

What is the Fermi Paradox?

By Jonathan O'Callaghan published

Reference The Fermi Paradox describes the contradiction that despite an abundance of planets in our galaxy, we have yet to detect alien life. Are we actually alone in the universe?

A UFO hovers over a forest

How would we give aliens directions to Earth?

By Joanna Thompson published

Giving aliens directions to Earth might be tricky, but scientists have some ideas for how to do it.

The 'doughnut UFO' spotted over Switzerland appeared the same night as SpaceX's Endeavor capsule reentry.

'Doughnut UFO' over Switzerland defies explanation

By Brandon Specktor published

A photographer in Zurich, Switzerland, spotted the glowing object while four SpaceX astronauts returned to Earth thousands of miles away.

Orson Welles rehearsing a radio broadcast of H.G. Wells' classic, The War of the Worlds on October 10, 1938. The broadcast, which claimed that aliens from Mars had invaded New Jersey, terrified thousands of Americans.

Was the 'War of the Worlds' radio broadcast an early deepfake?

By Elizabeth Howell published

A new podcast argues the 1938 Martian invasion story foreshadowed the problems of media creation today.

An artist's impression of Proxima b, a potentially habitable planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, the closest star system to Earth's sun.

Sorry folks: 'Alien' signal from Proxima Centauri was likely just a broken computer on Earth

By Brandon Specktor published

An unusual signal from the direction of Proxima Centauri previously thought to be possible alien technology was actually just broken Earth technology, a new study suggests.

A car drives with "Area 51" written on the back before the start of a "Storm Area 51" spinoff event called "Area 51 Basecamp" on September 20, 2019 near Alamo, Nevada.

Siege of top-secret Area 51 began as a joke. Officials prepared to use deadly force in response.

By Mindy Weisberger published

UFO enthusiasts who rallied in 2019 to invade Area 51 may have been joking about "storming" the base. But law enforcement officials took the idea very, very seriously.

Four false-color images showing the southern aurora on Saturn. Scientists may have detected four brand-new planets, thanks to the glow of their auroras.

'Powerful auroras' on alien planets may be sending strange radio signals toward Earth

By Brandon Specktor published

Astronomers say strange radio signals around old, inactive stars may be the shimmering auroras of four alien worlds.

Artist's illustration of the view from the seas of a potentially habitable "Hycean" exoplanet.

Alien life could thrive on big 'Hycean' exoplanets

By Mike Wall published

The search for alien life should broaden its horizons a bit, a new study suggests.

A conceptual illustration of a Dyson sphere

Alien 'Dyson spheres' could be harvesting the power of black holes

By Adam Mann published

Researchers show how intelligent aliens might draw nearly-limitless power from a black hole using a Dyson sphere.

Two aircraft pilots reported seeing a bright green UFO over Canada in July 2021.

Two planes report 'bright green UFO' swooping through the clouds over Canada

By Brandon Specktor published

Two aircrafts flying over Canada reported a "bright green UFO" that disappeared into the clouds on July 30.