Scientists are re-evaluating the traditional understanding of where life might exist beyond Earth, moving beyond the concept of the 'Goldilocks zone'. This zone describes the area around a star with conditions considered optimal for life.
Planetary scientist Sara Seager from MIT is leading a mission to Venus. While the planet's surface can reach 500 degrees Celsius with sulphuric acid rain, Seager suggests that life could potentially exist in its clouds.
Further expanding the search, Professor Lewis Dartnell, an astrobiologist at the University of Westminster, studies extremophiles. These are organisms found on Earth in environments previously thought to be too hostile to support life.