--- title: Philae Comet Could Be Home to Alien Microbial Life, Scientists Say description: Two top astronomers say the comet that is now home to the Philae lander could also be inhabited by microbial alien life. canonical: https://time.com/3946292/comet-philae-life-microbial-67p-astronomers-alien/ author: Helen Regan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-06T08:59:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T05:21:20.000Z article:section: Science og:title: Comet Could Be Home to Alien Life, Say Scientists og:description: Special conditions suggest microbial organisms could lurk under the surface. og:url: https://time.com/3946292/comet-philae-life-microbial-67p-astronomers-alien/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfdf632259beb24e/698859a50a4a2271939c5044/philae-comet-rosetta.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: This handout photo provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) shows the surface of the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet as seen from the Philae lander, which landed on the comet's surface on Nov. 13, 2014. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Comet Could Be Home to Alien Life, Say Scientists twitter:description: Special conditions suggest microbial organisms could lurk under the surface. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfdf632259beb24e/698859a50a4a2271939c5044/philae-comet-rosetta.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Philae Comet Could Be Home to Microbial Alien Life, Scientists Say > Sponsored content. 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It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Philae Lander Phones Home After 7-Month Nap On Comet [Watch (HLS stream): Philae Lander Phones Home After 7-Month Nap On Comet](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fITy9wvy.m3u8) (1:17)  _Published 2015-06-14. The Philae lander has enough power to resume some science operations on comet 67P-CG, according to mission controllers at the European Space Agency._ by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Updated: Dec 13, 2023 5:21 AM UTCPublished: Jul 6, 2015 8:59 AM UTC  This handout photo provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) shows the surface of the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet as seen from the Philae lander, which landed on the comet's surface on Nov. 13, 2014. This handout photo provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) shows the surface of the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet as seen from the Philae lander, which landed on the comet's surface on Nov. 13, 2014. 2014 European Space Agency (ESA)/Getty Images by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Updated: Dec 13, 2023 5:21 AM UTCPublished: Jul 6, 2015 8:59 AM UTC Two top astronomers say the [comet](http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jul/06/philae-comet-could-be-home-to-alien-life-say-top-scientists) that is now home to the Philae lander could also be inhabited by microbial alien life. Several characteristics of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, such as its organic-rich black crust, are best explained by the presence of living organisms beneath its icy surface, reports _The Guardian._ Astronomer and astrobiologist Chandra Wickramasinghe and his colleague Max Willis from the University of Cardiff believe comets like 67P could be home to microbes similar to “extremophiles,” which live in the most inhospitable parts of earth. The European Space Agency’s Rosetta craft, which is orbiting the comet, is also said to have picked up strange “clusters” of organic material that resemble viral particles. **UPDATE: Scientists have** [**poured cold water**](http://time.com/3947237/philae-microbial-alien-life/) **on the claims by Willis and Wickramasinghe that 67P was likely hospitable to alien life.** \[[_Guardian_](http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jul/06/philae-comet-could-be-home-to-alien-life-say-top-scientists)\] ### PHOTOS: 20 Breathtaking Images of Earth From Space  Aleppo, Syria, May 26, 2013 – The Citadel of Aleppo – medieval fortified palace DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Belfast, Northern Ireland, Nov. 3, 2013 – “Wish,” a large-scale art work DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Utah, USA, April 22, 2013 – Colorado River DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Cuanza River, Angola, April 28, 2013 – Cambambe Dam DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Doha, Qatar, March 4, 2013 – Artificial island spanning nearly four million sq meters. DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Dunalley, Australia, Jan. 6, 2013 – fires, false color image (red = healthy vegetation) DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Australia, April 22, 2013 – Great Barrier Reef DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Gwadar coast, Pakistan Sept. 29, 2013 – new island created by earthquake in Pakistan DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Croatia, Feb. 16, 2013 – Galešnjak (Island of Love) DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Hong Kong, China May 9, 2013 – giant rubber duck DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, March 22, 2013 – Manam Volcano DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Namib Desert, Namibia, May 13, 2013 – Sossusvlie area DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Naples, Italy, Feb. 19 2013 – Mount Vesuvius DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Niger, Feb. 13, 2013 – Arlit Uranium Mine DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Schooner Cays, Bahamas, May 26, 2013 DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Sochi, Russia, March 17, 2013 – Site of 2014 winter Olympics DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Near the city of Sur, Oman, Feb. 13, 2013 – massive “green tide” DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Valencia, Spain, July 19, 2013 – Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia and Gulliver Park with an enormous fiberglass model of Lemuel Gulliver trapped DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Versailles, France, Aug. 20, 2013 – Palace of Versailles DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Xi'an, China, Sept. 24, 2013 – Shiyuan Park DigitalGlobe—Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3946292/comet-philae-life-microbial-67p-astronomers-alien/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3946292/comet-philae-life-microbial-67p-astronomers-alien/"},"headline":"The Philae Comet Could Be Home to Microbial Alien Life, Scientists Say","datePublished":"2015-07-06T08:59:04.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T05:21:20.000Z","description":"Certain features of the comet suggest microbes could be present under its surface","url":"https://time.com/3946292/comet-philae-life-microbial-67p-astronomers-alien/","keywords":["Space","Comet"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfdf632259beb24e/698859a50a4a2271939c5044/philae-comet-rosetta.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Helen Regan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/helen-regan/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfdf632259beb24e/698859a50a4a2271939c5044/philae-comet-rosetta.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"This handout photo provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) shows the surface of the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet as seen from the Philae lander, which landed on the comet's surface on Nov. 13, 2014.","caption":"This handout photo provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) shows the surface of the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet as seen from the Philae lander, which landed on the comet's surface on Nov. 13, 2014.","creditText":"2014 European Space Agency (ESA)/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/space/","name":"Space"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3946292/comet-philae-life-microbial-67p-astronomers-alien/","name":"The Philae Comet Could Be Home to Microbial Alien Life, Scientists Say"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Philae Lander Phones Home After 7-Month Nap On Comet","description":"The Philae lander has enough power to resume some science operations on comet 67P-CG, according to mission controllers at the European Space Agency.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fITy9wvy/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-14T15:24:28.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fITy9wvy.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3946292/comet-philae-life-microbial-67p-astronomers-alien/","duration":"PT1M17S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3946292/comet-philae-life-microbial-67p-astronomers-alien/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```