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Have any alien civilizations ever existed? Astronomers say the chances are sky-high
Are we alone? Fifty-five years ago, astronomer Frank Drake came up with an equation that weighed the odds for aliens. -
Why aliens have yet to be found: Alien life on exoplanets dies young
Alien life on exoplanets just might not flourish and just might die young, according to one study. Another study, co-authored by UW astronomy professor Woody Sullivan, is referenced. -
Could this distant 'super Earth' planet sustain life?
Astronomers think they've found a "super Earth" that might be capable of sustaining life. UW scientists Eric Agol, Rory Barnes, Cecilia Bitz, Benjamin Charnay and Victoria Meadows were involved. -
Rosetta spacecraft finds key building blocks of life hiding in comet dust – did an extraterrestrial object bring life to Earth?
The Rosetta spacecraft has discovered key building blocks of life in the dust of a comet. -
For asteroid-hunting astronomers, Nathan Myhrvold says the sky is falling
Wealthy technologist, Nathan Mygrvold, claims some of the world’s top experts on Earth-threatening asteroids are guilty of bad science. Željko Ivezic, professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted. -
A spat over the search for killer asteroids
Nathan P. Myhrvold, a former chief technologist at Microsoft and compiler of a six-volume compendium of cooking knowledge, has questioned NASA’s analysis of asteroids using heat emissions. -
Alien civilizations may number in the trillions, new study says
New research suggests that more planets in the Milky Way galaxy may harbor advanced civilizations than we previously imagined. -
Hot On The Trail Of Alien Moons
UW Astronomy's Rory Barnes speaks about the explorations for moons on newly-discovered distant planets. -
Explaining How It All Began
Astronomy's "Cosmologies and Cultures" course explores the Big Bang theory but also other stories about the Universe's origins.
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Life or illusion? Avoiding ‘false positives’ in the search for living worlds
Research from the University of Washington-based Virtual Planetary Laboratory will help astronomers better identify “false positives” in the search for life beyond Earth. -
Caught in the act: UW astronomers find a rare supernova ‘impostor’ in a nearby galaxy
After a star explodes as a supernova, it usually leaves behind either a black hole or what’s called a neutron star — the collapsed, high-density core of the former star. -
The Trick to Finding Life on Distant Planets
Victoria Meadows, director of the UW's Virtual Planetary Laboratory, discusses whether oxygen in an exoplanet's atmosphere is a sign of living beings. -
Quiet quasar has apparently eaten its fill
Astronomers with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), including UW's Scott Anderson announced that a distant quasar ran out of gas, revealing that our skies are still. ever-changing. -
UW astronomer Eric Agol honored by Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Eric Agol, professor of astronomy, will receive the 2016 Lecar Prize from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. -
Female Astronomers: Outsiders in Their Field
Department of Astronomy faculty discuss the value of gender diversity among students and faculty.