Scientists are listening in on sperm whale conversations and studying Earth's strangest microbes to prepare humanity for first contact with extraterrestrial life.

The search for alien life has captured the popular imagination for decades. Are they friendly… intelligent… green? The average person may conceive of alien life as anything from the large-brained ...

By studying Earth's toughest microbes and complex animal "speech", scientists are reshaping how we search for – and may someday talk to – alien life.