One of the most common criticisms about the search for life is that scientists spend too much time looking for Earth-like life. Why is that the case? Doesn’t this kind of narrow focus simply limit us from actually finding anything?
Two researchers spent Monday tackling that question during “Searching for Life Across Space and Time,” the first of a two-day workshop about aliens hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
John Baross of the University of Washington and Tori Hoehler from NASA Ames Research Center, made the trip to Irvine, California to discuss theories behind what scientists should focus on when searching for extraterrestrial life on other worlds — and the two unintentionally laid out a pretty good case for why those efforts should focus on Earth-like life.
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