Complex organic compounds, including many important to life on Earth, were readily produced under conditions that likely prevailed in the primordial solar system. Scientists at the University of Chicago and NASA’s Ames Research Center came to this conclusion after linking computer simulations to laboratory experiments.

Good news for those searching for life in space: A french/german experiment has proved, that water (H₂O), ammonia (NH₃) and methanol exposed for UV-radiation under the same conditions as the interior of comets, produce ammino-acids quite naturally

While scientists believe conditions suitable for life might exist on the so-called "super-Earth" in the Gliese 581 system, it's unlikely to be transferred to other planets within that solar system.

As a result of a prize-donation to SETI-projects, the "Zooniverse"-team at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium has made a new online SETI@home service called 'SETLive'.  At SETLive you can contribute online to the seti@home calculations, and search the SET anaysis-results

SEE SETILive