By The Financial District
Oct 3, 20231 min
Many astronomers are no longer asking whether there is life elsewhere in the Universe; instead, the question on their minds is when we will find it.
There is widespread optimism among experts that we will detect signs of life on a distant world within our lifetimes, potentially in the next few years.
There is widespread optimism among experts that we will detect signs of life on a distant world within our lifetimes, potentially in the next few years, Pallab Ghosh reported for BBC News.
One scientist leading a mission to Jupiter even goes so far as to suggest that it would be "surprising" if there were no signs of life on one of the planet's icy moons.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) recently uncovered tantalizing hints of life on a planet beyond our Solar System, and it has many more celestial bodies in its observational sights.
Numerous missions currently underway or on the horizon mark a new space race to achieve one of the most significant scientific discoveries of all time.
"We reside in an infinite Universe, teeming with countless stars and planets. It has become evident to many of us that we cannot be the sole intelligent life forms out there," remarked Professor Catherine Heymans, Scotland's Astronomer Royal.