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Comment and Space

Claims of alien life are overhyped – and miss the real accomplishment

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

By Chris Lintott

18 April 2025

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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