Swiss Scientist: Search for Life Next
April 25, 2007 By BRADLEY S. KLAPPER , Associated Press Writer
In this undated handout image supplied by the European Southern Observatory, shown is the star Gliese 581. For the first time astronomers have discovered a planet outside our solar system that is potentially habitable, with Earth-like temperatures, a find researchers described Tuesday April 24, 2007, as a big step in the search for "life in the universe." What they revealed is a planet circling the red dwarf star, Gliese 581. The planet was discovered by the European Southern Observatory's telescope in La Silla, Chile, which has a special instrument that splits light to find wobbles in different wave lengths. (AP Photo/European Southern Observatory via PA)
(AP) -- Swiss scientist Michel Mayor, who heads the European team that announced the discovery of a new potentially habitable planet, has his sights set on an even bigger target, detecting signs of extraterrestrial life.
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