--- title: "SETI Scientist Says Announcement of Alien Life Could Be Imminent" description: "One of the world's foremost ET experts believes that with the help of the Webb Telescope, we're closer to discovering alien life than ever." date: "2024-04-25" modified: "2024-04-25" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/seti-scientist-alien-announcement" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "habitable zone" - "james webb space telescope" - "SETI" - "the digest" --- # SETI Scientist Says Announcement of Alien Life Could Be Imminent ![One of the world's foremost ET experts believes that with the help of the Webb Telescope, we're closer to discovering alien life than ever.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Webby Awards One of the world's foremost experts in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) believes that with the help of the [James Webb Space Telescope](), humans are closer to discovering life outside our planet than ever before. Lisa Kaltenegger, who directs the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell, [told *The Telegraph*]() this week that because the Webb Telescope is designed to detect [biosignatures]() — the scientific word for "signs of life," including organism-produced [methane gas]() — we may well find ETs very soon. Kaltnegger, whose new book "[Alien Earths: Planet Hunting in the Cosmos]()" was published this month, waxed enthusiastic when discussing the JWST, bragging that with its technological leaps, humanity is now in "this era of golden exploration, with thousands of other worlds on our doorstep, that we now can actually explore." The scientist is particularly interested in the planets surrounding Trappist-1, a red dwarf star located just 40 light-years away that's suspected to [contain water]() and, potentially, life. Discovered in 2017, the Trappist-1 system appears to have several planets in the so-called "habitable zone" where they could host liquid water — and by Kaltnegger's reckoning, it's likely where we'll find life. "We have a chance to find the gases on these worlds," she told the British website. "And to figure out if there’s biosignatures on them within the next, let’s say, five to 10 years." "If life is everywhere, it can be in that system," Kaltnegger continued. "It may be that we need to observe 100 systems before we find life, or 1,000. But it could also be that we just need to observe one system." Should we be so lucky, she predicted, that discovery "could be just a couple of years from now." ## Letting Down Easy When asked about some of the more bombastic believers in ETs, the Austrian-born astronomer was diplomatic in her condemnation. "I think people are very, very smart," she said, "and actually do start to doubt these things when it’s just a little too convenient." All the same, Kaltnegger considers congressional whistleblower David Grusch, whose outlandish claims about the government having retrofitted "[non-human vehicles]()" and recovering alien carcasses greatly [irritated the SETI community](), to be a "snake oil" salesman — though she admits that it would be "so much easier" if his claims were true. "When I see that, honestly what I think is, 'Oh God, I wish this were true,'" she told *The Telegraph*. "That would be so much easier if we had aliens coming here. Because the search for chemical make-up, and gas as a biosignature, it’s hard, even with the biggest telescopes we have." Still, it's clear the astronomer believes strongly in her chosen approach — and if her educated guesses on timelines are right, she might have a lot to show for it soon. **More on SETI:** [*SETI Institute Claims They've Successfully Communicated With a Whale*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()