Astronomers said Thursday the two planets could provide clues to how planetary systems are formed, and aid the search for extraterrestrial life.

CNN: Astronomers spy new neighbors outside solar system

The larger plan is to prepare for the search for extraterrestrial life by looking for things that live in extreme conditions on Earth.

CNN: NASA probes for tiny life at Yellowstone

The link between the search for extraterrestrial life and our Earth-based problems is not surprising, because fundamentally it is all the same thing -- understanding how life, whether us or microbes, can be sustained in the cosmos.

CNN: How the search for aliens can help sustain life on Earth

Perhaps the most famous effort in the hunt for alien life is the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Seti), once funded in part by US space agency Nasa, which continues to listen to and look around the cosmos for signs of intelligent civilisations elsewhere.

BBC: 'No evidence' for extraterrestrials, says White House