Top UK space scientist predicts alien life will be found by 2075

Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, a leading space scientist at University College London's Department of Physics and Astronomy, says she is absolutely convinced that life exists beyond Earth and that a detectable signal from another planet could come within the next 50 years, targeting 2075. She shared the assessment in an interview with the Daily Mail ahead of giving the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, Britain’s flagship public science talks.

Citing the scale of the cosmos, Aderin-Pocock noted that there are roughly 200 billion galaxies in the observable universe, and within our Milky Way alone there are about 300 billion stars. She argued that given the number of planets orbiting those stars, it would be extraordinary if life had not arisen somewhere else. The interview also pointed to recent progress in exoplanet science, including K2-18b — an ocean-bearing world about 124 light-years away — where scientists have detected atmospheric molecules that could be tied to biological activity. She argued this is a sign that tantalizing life-related signals are starting to emerge.

Aderin-Pocock cited humanity’s evolving tools for life detection, including the James Webb Space Telescope, an infrared observatory used to probe the atmospheres of distant worlds. She noted that in September NASA reported findings from Mars that were described as the clearest signs yet of past life, based on unusual mineral structures in mudstones; scientists cautioned that more work is needed to confirm microbial origins. She added that while K2-18b remains a candidate for a Hycean world with hydrogen-rich atmosphere and liquid water, the broader takeaway is that we are collecting increasing amounts of data that could one day reveal life beyond our solar system.

In terms of what that life might look like, she warned that initial discoveries could be unglamorous. The most plausible early evidence might be in the form of simple microbial-like life or chemical traces that require careful interpretation. But she also allowed for the possibility of more complex organisms that could evolve and potentially communicate, and even for alien technology to exist that could surpass human capabilities.

If life is found, Aderin-Pocock stressed that caution will be essential. Any extraterrestrial life would need to remain isolated from human activity to prevent contamination, she said. She stressed that even if most discoveries are microbial, protecting ecosystems and preventing cross-contamination would be a top priority.

Turning to the future of space exploration, the professor described a vision of a space-faring civilization that expands beyond Earth and sees space as a unifying endeavor rather than a collection of national boundaries. It is a world where exploration could become a shared human enterprise, she suggested, turning science fiction into science fact over time.

The 2025 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, titled Is There Life Beyond Earth, will feature Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock and air on BBC Four and iPlayer on December 28-30 at 7 p.m. local time, continuing the tradition of the lectures presenting big questions to younger audiences.

Across the field, milestones in humanity’s search for alien life illustrate the evolving landscape of science. From the discovery of pulsars in the 1960s to the Wow! signal in 1977 and claims of ancient Martian life in the 1990s, researchers have long pursued signs that life could exist beyond Earth. In 2017, the Trappist-1 system revealed seven Earth-like planets that could harbor water, amplifying optimism about finding life in the cosmos. While each step has sharpened the questions, experts emphasize that definitive proof remains elusive, necessitating cautious interpretation and continued investment in telescopes, probes, and international collaboration to push the search forward.