- Alison Snyder, author of Axios Science
Sep 4, 2021 - Science
4. The future of the search for life

Photo illustration: Annelise Capossela. Photos: NASA/Getty Images, Boyer/Roger Viollet via Getty Images
New probes to study nearby worlds, advanced telescopes to peer at far away planets, and expanding ideas about the signs of life are fueling a renaissance in the search for life beyond Earth.
Why it matters: It's an age-old question — is life as we know it on Earth unique, or is the universe actually teeming with life?