The US space agency has created a buzz with its announcement of a press conference to discuss a scientific finding that relates to the hunt for life beyond the planet Earth.
"NASA will hold a news conference at 2pm EST, December 2 (0600 AEDT Friday), to discuss an astrobiology finding that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life," it said on its website.
Space enthusiasts and believers in alien life took to the blogosphere in a flurry of speculation over the potential meaning of the announcement, though NASA declined to elaborate further.
Those scheduled to speak included Mary Voytek, who heads NASA's astrobiology program; Felisa Wolfe-Simon, a NASA astrobiology research fellow from the US Geological Survey; and Pamela Conrad, an astrobiologistat NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Astrobiology relates to the study of life in the universe, including its origin and evolution, where it is located and how it might survive in the future.
