The Search for Life Beyond Earth

Lisa Kaltenegger discusses the significant advancements in the search for extraterrestrial life, highlighting the discovery of over 5,600 confirmed exoplanets. These findings, which have rapidly increased since the first exoplanet was discovered in 1995, open up exciting possibilities for identifying worlds that could potentially harbor life. She notes that the criteria for a habitable planet include being at the right distance from a star and being rocky enough to support potential life forms. The sheer quantity of discovered planets suggests that many more undiscovered candidates exist, fueling the scientific community's determination to explore these distant worlds further.