Have we found alien life? Hundreds of scientists weigh in

Two major alien-life announcements in 2025 generated enormous excitement, but most astrobiologists remained unconvinced. Only 6.6% of surveyed experts thought possible biological molecules on K2-18b probably represented extraterrestrial life, while 15.1% said the same about intriguing mineral patterns in a Martian rock. Have we found alien life? Hundreds of scientists weigh in.

Hundreds of scientists weigh in Science News from research organizations Have we found alien life. Hundreds of scientists weigh in Date: September 9, 2026. The right side shows an image that NASA’s Perseverance rover captured of “leopard spots” in the Cheyava Falls rock on Mars, features that can be associated with microbial activity on Earth.

In 2025, a press release stated that we have the “ strongest hints yet ” of extraterrestrial life on the exoplanet K2-18b. And when talking about a collected sample from a rock named “Cheyava Falls” on Mars, NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said this was the “ closest we have ever come ” to discovering life on the red planet. But they also raise an important question: what do the majority of scientists actually think.

When a scientific controversy or breakthrough dominates headlines, press officers and journalists often quote a handful of experts.