We Might Not Be Alone: Search for alien life is yielding weird new worlds

In planetary science the result is a menagerie of exotic new worlds, some 236 of which were this week confirmed as exoplanets—that is, planets outside the solar system. Over the past few days members of the American Astronomical Society meeting in Honolulu have also been tussling over whether the first Earth-like planet, announced at the end of April, has actually been found.The rate of progress is extraordinary.

The first exoplanet orbiting a
normal star was discovered a mere 12 years ago. Before that, the answer
to the rhetorical question “are we alone?”, might quite possibly have
been “yes”. Exoplanets were the stuff of science fiction. Now the hunt
is well and truly on for places that are capable of sustaining life,
and in some ways the speculations of the sci-fi writers have been far
outstripped by reality.

The Swiss have had some notable triumphs. Indeed, it was they who
started the whole thing off 12 years ago. It was also they who
announced the Earth-like planet—meaning, in this context, that they
think it is both rocky and capable of harbouring liquid water.

If their interpretation is confirmed, it would be a real coup.