April 21, 2026, Mountain View, CA -- The SETI Institute announced the launch of the Discovery and Futures Lab, a new interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to understanding the global scientific, philosophical, and societal dimensions of discovering life beyond Earth.

The Discovery and Futures Lab’s mission is to anticipate and explore humanity’s responses to the discovery of life beyond Earth by connecting science with other kinds of research. It unites experts in astrobiology, SETI, social science, ethics, law, communication research, futures studies, and more to examine implications and guide preparedness.

"I'm incredibly excited to be a part of the Discovery and Futures Lab at the SETI Institute,” said Lucian Walkowicz, Co-Director of the Lab. “I see this effort as part of the SETI Institute's longstanding commitment to responsible science, and I hope it will be a transformative research accelerator for how we understand and communicate about the discovery process in the search for life."

 

“Healthy” food labels increased consumer selections of healthier snacks and consumers were willing to pay a premium for such labeled products, according to new research.

A new study published in Earth’s Future introduces the eLTER Framework of Standard Observations (eLTER SO) - a structured, harmonized system designed to support consistent long-term environmental observation across Europe. The paper, "Achieving harmonized and integrated long-term environmental observation of essential ecosystem variables - The eLTER Framework of Standard Observations", explains how the eLTER Research Infrastructure (eLTER RI) is improving the comparability and coordination of environmental data across diverse ecosystems and research fields. By providing common standards, the framework improves data interoperability and supports collaboration across the environmental research community. It offers a foundation for future work in areas such as ecosystem modeling, sustainability assessments, and evidence-based environmental policy.