Martin Griffiths – Detecting Life on Exoplanets 

Astronomers are moving closer and closer to detecting the signatures of life on other planets. with the advent of new technologies and the JWST we are on the threshold of exploring planetary atmospheres and detecting the basic signatures of living organisms. At present we do not know what sort of organisms they could be or if any intelligence is indicated but progress in this field is a daily occurrence. What exactly are exoplanets, what detectors and experiments are we running and what are the prospects for detecting life outside of our Earth within the 21st Century?