Astronomers believe that every star in the galaxy has a planet, one fifth of which might harbor life. Only we haven't seen any of them — yet. Jeremy Kasdin and his team are looking to change that with the design and engineering of an extraordinary piece of equipment: a flower petal-shaped "starshade" that allows a telescope to photograph planets from 50,000 kilometers away. It is, he says, the "coolest possible science."
Visit the SETI Institute online to learn more about their work, the scientists on their team and the intiatives they are spearheading in the search for extraterrestrial life. http://www.seti.org/
Explore the SETI@home project, which harnesses the power of home computers around the world to aid in the search for alien life. http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/
Watch Jill Tarter's call to join the SETI search on TED.com http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_tarter_s_call_to_join_the_seti_search.html