In the early 1970s, two gold plaques were launched into deep space aboard Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11, each engraved with a message from humankind to any extraterrestrial life that might find them. Since then, astronomers have continued to listen and look for life beyond Earth, identifying over 6,0 00 exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. But only a small fraction of these exoplanets have the potential to host life. These planets fall within what astronomers refer to as the “habitable zone” of their star, the area surrounding a star where temperatures could allow liquid water to exist on a planet’s surface, one of the requirements for life as we know it. Here are some of the most promising and exciting candidates, according to scientists. Click here to read more on this report from our partners at The Dallas Morning News. ...read more read less