Are we alone or is the universe teeming with life?
is one of the most fundamental questions in science. The answer could have a dramatic impact on society and culture. Over the next decade, advances in technology will allow astronomers to address this question in new ways. I will describe a few novel techniques that could potentially detect primitive or intelligent forms of life in the solar system and around nearby stars. I will then discuss how early after the Big Bang life may have started, as well as its prospects for survival in our long-term cosmic future.

Avi Loeb is an Origins team member. He is currently the Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science,
Chair of the Astronomy Department and Director of the Institute for Theory and Computation (ITC)