Extraterrestrial life, also sometimes called "alien life", is life that exists outside of Earth, and that likely did not originate from Earth. These hypothetical life forms may range from simple prokaryotes, to beings with civilizations far more advanced than humanity. The Drake equation speculates about the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. The science of extraterrestrial life in all its forms is known as exobiology.
Since the mid-20th century, there has been an ongoing search for signs of extraterrestrial life. This encompasses a search for current and historic extraterrestrial life, and a narrower search for extraterrestrial intelligent life. Depending on the category of search, methods range from the analysis of telescope and specimen data to radios used to detect and send communication signals.
The concept of alien life (and particularly, alien intelligence) has had a major cultural impact, mainly in the works of science fiction. Over the years, science fiction has communicated a wide range of scientific ideas, possibilities, and influenced public interest in and perspectives of extraterrestrial life. One shared space is the debate over the wisdom of attempting communication with extraterrestrial intelligence. Some encourage aggressive methods to try for contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life. Others - citing the tendency of technologically advanced human societies to enslave or wipe out less advanced societies - argue that it is dangerous to actively call attention to Earth.