- New observations: Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to study the atmosphere of a massive Jupiter-analogue.

- Evidence for clouds:  Surprisingly, the observations indicate the presence of water-ice clouds – previous models had been too simple!

- Part of a larger search: Observations and analysis provide a test run for certain challenges of observing a “second Earth”

April 21, 2026, Mountain View, CA -- The SETI Institute announced the launch of the Discovery and Futures Lab, a new interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to understanding the global scientific, philosophical, and societal dimensions of discovering life beyond Earth.

The Discovery and Futures Lab’s mission is to anticipate and explore humanity’s responses to the discovery of life beyond Earth by connecting science with other kinds of research. It unites experts in astrobiology, SETI, social science, ethics, law, communication research, futures studies, and more to examine implications and guide preparedness.

"I'm incredibly excited to be a part of the Discovery and Futures Lab at the SETI Institute,” said Lucian Walkowicz, Co-Director of the Lab. “I see this effort as part of the SETI Institute's longstanding commitment to responsible science, and I hope it will be a transformative research accelerator for how we understand and communicate about the discovery process in the search for life."

 

Researchers in the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University have demonstrated a new approach to light-driven motion, showing that lasers can be used to lift and steer objects in multiple directions without physical contact. This breakthrough may one day enable travel to Alpha Centauri within roughly 20 years.

The Curiosity Mars rover detected many organic compounds, including ones not seen before on the red planet, such as nitrogen- and sulfur-bearing molecules similar to the building blocks of life on Earth.

How far the Milky Way's disc extends has long been difficult to define — it doesn't end sharply, but fades away gradually at its outer edges. Now, for the first time, an international team of astronomers has identified the edge of the Milky Way's star-forming disc by studying the ages of stars, revealing that the bulk of our Galaxy's star formation occurs within 40,000 light-years of the Galactic Centre.

Nine high school students from Austria, Greece, and Portugal have emerged from a specially designed habitat near Monsaraz, Portugal, marking the successful completion of EXPLORE-2—a six-day simulated Mars mission that placed young Europeans in the shoes of analog astronauts.