To search for alien life, astronomers will look for clues in the atmospheres of distant planets – and the James Webb Space Telescope just proved it's possible to do so
- Written by Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona
TRAPPIST-1e is a rocky exoplanet in the habitable zone of a star 40 light-years from Earth and may have water and clouds, as depicted in this artist's impression.NASA/JPL-Caltech/Wikimedia CommonsThe ingredients for life are spread throughout the universe. While Earth is the only known place in the universe with life, detecting life beyond Earth...