The search for life beyond Earth is increasingly focused not on distant spacecraft landings, but on planetary atmospheres.
Using advanced telescopes, scientists can analyse light passing through the atmospheres of exoplanets — planets orbiting stars outside our solar system — to identify chemical signatures.
Certain combinations of gases, such as oxygen and methane together, may suggest biological activity.
Observatories including the James Webb Space Telescope are giving researchers more detailed data than ever before.
However, interpreting these signals is extremely complex. Non-biological processes can sometimes produce similar chemical patterns.
Scientists therefore emphasise caution, arguing that no single observation would immediately confirm extraterrestrial life.
Even so, the field is advancing rapidly, turning what was once speculative astronomy into measurable science.
Experts suggest the coming decades could fundamentally change humanity’s understanding of life in the universe.
