The 45 Best Places to Look for Alien Life

Where should we actually be looking for life beyond Earth? Astronomers have identified 45 Earth-like worlds that could be among the most promising places to search for biosignatures—chemical signs of life in distant atmospheres. Inspired by the idea of a real-life "Project Hail Mary," this research helps narrow the search for habitable planets and guides future telescopes toward the most compelling targets. Join SETI Institute planetary astronomer Dr. Franck Marchis and guests Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger and Abigail Bohl from Cornell University as they explore: - How scientists define an "Earth-like" world  - What makes a planet a strong candidate for life - How these 45 planets were selected - What telescopes, like the James Webb Space Telescope, can (and can't) detect - What this means for the future of SETI and exoplanet exploration Are we closer than ever to finding life—or just getting better at knowing where to look? Press release: https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/research-highlights/best-places-look-alien-life-scientists-identify-45-earth-worlds Paper: https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/547/3/stag028/8526432 (Recorded live 17 April 2026.)