This question resolves YES if conclusive evidence is found of any biological life having originated from any other planet. For instance, if dinosaurs or tardigrades are conclusively discovered to have originated from Mars, this question resolves YES. If alien bacterial life is found on other planets conclusively proven not to have originated from Earth, this resolves YES.
If by 2100, none of these criteria have been fulfilled, this resolves NO.
1,000People are also trading
New York Times
Astronomers Detect a Possible Signature of Life on a Distant Planet
Further studies are needed to determine whether K2-18b, which orbits a star 120 light-years away, is inhabited, or even habitable.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/science/astronomy-exoplanets-habitable-k218b.html
Does evidence of extinct life on Mars count?
If there is possibility that microbes originated on Earth but carried to Mars by ancient meteorite before evolving there, do we have to wait for good evidence one way or the other before it resolves the question? If so how good does the evidence have to be?
(Proof is only for mathematics, science deals in evidence. Extraordinary claims do require very good evidence.)
@ChristopherRandles It would not then have originated from Mars, but Earth. If expert consensus is uncertain, the closing date will be extended should I still be around and capable of doing so.
"Huge breakthrough in the search for aliens: NASA discovers 85 Earth-like exoplanets that could have the right conditions to support life"
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12996441/Huge-breakthrough-search-aliens-NASA-discovers-85-Earth-like-exoplanets-right-conditions-support-life.html
"Huge breakthrough in the search for aliens: NASA discovers 85 Earth-like exoplanets that could have the right conditions to support life"
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12996441/Huge-breakthrough-search-aliens-NASA-discovers-85-Earth-like-exoplanets-right-conditions-support-life.html
Question: if we discover a non-living extraterrestrial intelligence and/or an artificial life form would that count as a 'yes.'
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20231025-if-alien-life-is-artificially-intelligent-it-may-be-stranger-than-we-can-imagine
@username I think with markets like this, the smart money often is scared away by the 2100 resolution date, leaving the price to be determined by those who don't optimise for profits that much.
You see this a lot in UFO-related markets. They're way higher than they should be because of the sorts of people betting, whenever the long resolution date is enough to deter the more seasoned betters.
Perhaps consider a market with a shorter timeframe? 2030, 2035, or something like that? Much less likely, but you may get more people betting.
@chrisjbillington I like how these kind of markets allow me to spend most of my loans without having to think too much about it.
And I am indeed not profit maximizing (would take too much time), so at least some kind of behaviors help in the other direction.
For clarity: if extraterrestrial life is found and it is separate from Earth biology entirely (nothing on Earth is related to it, no evidence of anything on Earth coming from extraterrestrial stock) does this still resolve YES? From the title I’d say yes, but from the body it seems you’re looking specifically for Earth life being of extraterrestrial origin.
@LokWenBin here's a concrete, extreme example: life in the interior of a neutron star. Nevermind plausibility! It would not be composed of atoms or even nuclei. At best the fundamental particles involved would be neutrons, protons, maybe hadrons with strange content.
Less extreme: on the surface of a neutron star, or in any other strong gravity (or magnetic field) situation. Now there are recognizable atoms, but with different chemical properties due to (at least) the distortion of electron orbitals.
@ScottLawrence Absolutely, dependent on the life being capable of responding to stimuli and not being man-made (or any other species-made, though it would be conclusive proof of the existence of another intelligent species). This would resolve yes. Though the likelihood of that existing whatsoever perhaps deserves another market.