Are we alone in the universe? Scientists are searching for the answer.
5 Places Where Aliens Might Actually Exist
https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/places-in-the-galaxy-where-aliens-might-exist
Are we alone in the universe? Scientists are searching for the answer.
For as long as humans have stared into the night sky, we’ve wondered whether someone—or something—might be staring back. Today, that age-old question is taking on new dimensions as researchers search for the most promising habitats for alien life, from frozen oceans on distant moons to mysterious exoplanets far beyond the reaches of our solar system.
But despite our advances, the central mystery remains. As physicists often remind us, if the universe is so big and so old, where is everybody? That conundrum, known as the Fermi paradox, sits at the heart of the search.
Few scientists think more expansively about the search for life than astrobiologist Dr. Nathalie Cabrol, director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute. SETI, she explains, “is the only Institute in the world that is searching for life in the universe, from its origin and nature to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. We go from beginning to end.”
It turns out that the answer to the question “are we alone?” may depend not only on where we look, but on how bold we’re willing to be in imagining what life might be.
First, What Type of Alien Life Might Exist?
To find extraterrestrial life, we must first understand what we’re looking for. This sounds simple; it isn’t.
“We don’t know what life is,” says Cabrol. More specifically, the only type of life we understand to any extent is the life we have here on Earth. And life here is quite complex, from bacteria thriving in underwater volcanic vents to microbes drifting in the upper atmosphere. Earth’s organisms routinely rewrite the rules, so when it comes to extraterrestrial life, it could be familiar to life as we know it—or perhaps shockingly, well, alien.
For now, the primary starting point in the search for life elsewhere is Earth-like chemistry.
“We are made of the most common stuff in the universe, and that’s not by accident,” Cabrol says. If those elements are abundant across the cosmos, then similar biochemistries may be, too. That’s why most searches for life often focus on biosignatures—evidence of current or past life.
On Earth, the hardiest types of life are typically microbial, so it stands to reason that’s the type of alien life we’re most likely to find. But even familiar biochemistries could take unfamiliar forms.
“You can have the same molecule, but their chirality, the geometry of the molecule, might be the opposite,” says Cabrol. The same building blocks don’t always result in the same final product.
Of course, that doesn’t rule out intelligent life existing beyond Earth, and that’s why researchers are also looking for technosignatures, or “things that the environment alone, nature alone, cannot produce,” says Cabrol. That might include chemicals that aren’t known to be produced biologically, unusual heat signatures, or even deliberate signals from an advanced civilization (whether or not we’d be able to identify a signal, let alone understand it, is another question).
Still, Cabrol warns against sensationalism in the search for life. Take, for instance, the hypothesis that interstellar objects like Comet 3I/ATLAS are actually advanced alien technology.
“It’s just fine to have hypotheses and push them until you realize that they are silly,” Cabrol says. As far as current research goes, Comet 3I/ATLAS is, indeed, just a comet. “But having said that, yes, of course. I’m excited,” she adds. “All of a sudden, we have free samples coming from the far end of our galaxy, telling us about the chemistry and the physics of other worlds, places we’re nowhere close to being able to visit anytime soon.”
Where Might We Find Alien Life: Mars
Many worlds beyond Earth stand out as especially promising in the search for alien life, which is why space agencies like NASA launch missions to study them. Mars is the classic target—and the closest. Once warm and wet, Mars very easily could have supported life. NASA’s Mars rovers, which are, in effect, mobile laboratories, are criss-crossing the planet to search for evidence. Currently, the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers are still active.
Where Might We Find Alien Life: The Icy Moons
Jupiter’s moons Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, as well as Saturn’s Enceladus, are key players in the search for life, thanks to their icy environments. Each has the potential to host life—Europa’s subsurface ocean, for instance, may contain abundant oxygen, while Enceladus sprays geysers of water vapor and organic compounds into space.
Europa is up first in terms of active missions. NASA’s Europa Clipper, which launched in 2024 and is scheduled to arrive in 2030, will perform nearly 50 flybys to measure the moon’s ice shell, chemistry, and potential ocean habitability. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) JUICE mission, also en route now, will study Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
PHOTO: NASA/Unsplash
Where Might We Find Alien Life: Titan (Saturn’s Largest Moon)
Titan is “a little different,” says Cabrol. Lakes and seas of liquid methane dominate its surface, while a water ocean lies buried some 40 miles (60 kilometers) below—and life might be able to exist there. NASA’s Dragonfly rotorcraft, estimated to launch in 2028 and arrive at Titan in the mid-2030s to investigate this ocean world.
Where Might We Find Alien Life: Dwarf Planets Ceres and Pluto
In 2015, NASA’s Dawn and New Horizons missions put dwarf planets in the spotlight. Dawn revolutionized our understanding of Ceres. “We discovered that the very small body, which was, at that time, still considered an asteroid, has maybe not a global ocean underneath, but at least some salty pocket of water, and it’s spilling out at the surface,” says Cabrol. Then, four months later, New Horizons revealed Pluto to be not just a cold rock, but a dynamic world with heat flow, complex nitrogen ice cycles, and geological activity—conditions far more life-friendly than expected.
PHOTO: NASA Hubble Space Telescope/Unsplash
Where Might We Find Alien Life: Exoplanets
Of course, the biggest potential lies outside our solar system, given the vast numbers of worlds out there. Astronomers have identified thousands of planets in the so-called “habitable zone” of their star systems, but habitability for life as we know it is complex. Various missions continue to search for potentially habitable planets (or even technosignatures), among them NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), as well as ESA’s future Ariel (Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey) mission, due to launch in 2029.
So…Are We Alone?
The universe is vast, life is adaptable, and the ingredients for life as we know it are widespread. Are we alone in the universe? Maybe not. But the question isn’t only whether life exists elsewhere. It’s whether we’ve learned enough—scientifically and philosophically—to identify it if and when we finally find it.
The Airline Loophole Most Travelers Miss — and Why It Can Mean Cheaper Business Class
Courtesy of Emirates
https://www.fodors.com/news/airlines/what-are-fifth-freedom-flights-how-these-little-known-routes-can-cut-your-airfare
Ever heard of "fifth freedom flights"?
When you buy an international plane ticket, you can generally be assured that the airlines selling the tickets in a specific market will be from either of the two countries. Flights to the U.S. and France, for example, are generally operated by both American and French airlines.
These routes are designated by IATA as “Fifth Freedom” routes—that is, routes that begin in an airline’s home country, but stop in another country en route to a third country.
In the early days of long-haul aviation, it was common for airlines to operate far beyond the borders of their home countries. In the years after World War II, aircraft range was still limited, so many of the longest flights required stopovers en route. Passengers could fly Air India, for example, between North America and London, far from India itself. A London to Rome passenger might fly Qantas, the Australian airline. Even as late as the 2000s, passengers could fly Japan Airlines between Vancouver and Mexico City, or Cathay Pacific between Vancouver and New York City.
The flights had a purpose. When global air traffic demand was smaller, there weren’t enough passengers to fill daily flights to the United States from places like Bangkok, Taipei, or Seoul, so airlines like Pan Am would route them through Tokyo to ensure fuller flights across the Pacific. Pan Am did similar flights within Europe to gateways in London and Frankfurt.
Today, with most aircraft types able to connect most points on earth without a stopover, and global passenger demand having grown enough to support nonstops from more cities, these routes have become fewer in number, but there are still a few out there. The benefit to these routes is that they’re often less trafficked, meaning fares can be more competitive, particularly in premium cabins.
South America is particularly fertile ground for fifth freedom flights. The route between São Paulo and Buenos Aires, for example, offers flights from a number of airlines, including Ethiopian, Turkish, SWISS, and Air Canada. From Rio de Janeiro, passengers can fly British Airways or Emirates to Buenos Aires. From Buenos Aires to Santiago, choose KLM for an exotic taste of a faraway land while traversing the Andes.
KLM operates a number of fifth freedom routes, including Singapore to Denpasar, Bali. While the local carriers on the route, Singapore Airlines and Garuda Indonesia, often have many more daily flights, the KLM flight generally offers a lower fare in business class for the two-and-a-half hour flight to Bali.
It’s important to note that there is a necessary distinction for fifth freedom flights—they must have what are called local traffic rights to qualify. For example, KLM also flies between Aruba and Bonaire, but the airline doesn’t sell the flight on its own—it’s only for passengers flying between Aruba or Bonaire and Amsterdam.
Singapore Airlines once relied heavily on fifth freedom flying to connect Singapore with distant points in North America. Until ultra-long-haul aircraft entered the fleet in the late 2000s, all flights between Singapore and North America involved a stopover in another country. Today, with many more nonstops from the US to Singapore, the number of fifth freedom routes flown by Singapore has dwindled to just three: Los Angeles-Tokyo Narita; Milan-Barcelona; and Frankfurt-New York (JFK).
United Airlines has also been investing in new fifth freedom routes in recent years. The airline once had significant flying within Asia after it purchased Pan Am’s Pacific routes in 1985, which it had largely reduced in favor of nonstop flights directly to the United States. The last holdouts were United’s flights from Singapore to Hong Kong and Tokyo Narita, which ended in 2016 and 2017 when United introduced nonstop flights from San Francisco to Singapore.
Now, United offers flights from Tokyo Narita to Cebu, Philippines; Ulaanbataar, Mongolia; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; and Koror, Palau. From Hong Kong, United offers flights to Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City. On the latter route, United’s business class fares are generally lower than those offered by Cathay Pacific or Vietnam Airlines.
Emirates offers a significant number of fifth-freedom flights, ranging from flights across the Tasman Sea (Sydney-Christchurch), in Southeast Asia (Bangkok to Hong Kong, Siem Reap, and Da Nang), across the Atlantic (Athens-Newark; Milan-New York JFK; Barcelona-Mexico City), and South America (Miami-Bogotá).
Whatever the reason for choosing them, fifth freedom flights often offer better fares in premium cabins and a taste of a faraway land on an otherwise un-exotic local hop.
I Hung Out at a Naked Party in Texas and It Changed the Way I Travel
Cindy_Giovagnoli/iStock
https://www.fodors.com/news/news/what-happens-at-a-naked-party
Attending a party in the buff was all I needed to finally embrace my sense of adventure.
I didn’t plan to go with a bunch of tourists and locals to a creek in Terlingua, Texas. I didn’t plan to skinny-dip under a night sky dotted with constellations of twinkling stars. I definitely didn’t plan to return to my Couchsurfing spot and hang out naked while drinking beer and eating pizza at a naked party. But that’s what makes traveling so special, it gives you the opportunity to try unexpected things that you’d never thought you’d do.
The day before the naked party, I set out for Terlingua from Dallas on an impulsive road trip to hike in Big Bend National Park. Money was tight, so I had booked a Couchsurfing spot with a 70-year-old man, let’s call him Bill, who split his time between Austin and Terlingua. Wi-Fi and a private room with a blow-up mattress convinced me to book my stay.
When I arrived, I met Bill at his house. Soon after setting down my bags, he insisted on taking me to the porch next to the Starlight Theatre to meet the other locals, some of whom lived in the area year-round, rocking t-shirts, shorts, and dust-covered Chacos.
While sitting on the porch, I overheard one person mention visits to the nearby hot springs for nighttime skinny dipping. A little later, someone else brought up impromptu naked parties held in various homes.
“Y’all sure like to get naked down here,” I commented, unable to resist chiming in.
“It’s so hot here, it just makes more sense to be naked,” replied one of the locals. I was assured that these naked parties weren’t sexual or exactly planned; they just happened.
Terlingua isn’t a nudist destination, although there are quite a lot of them in the U.S., like Cypress Cove Nudist Resort in Kissimmee, Florida’ Prairie Haven Nudist Camp in Scranton, Kansas; and Wildwood Naturist Resort in Decatur, Texas.
The next day, Bill drove me into Big Bend National Park, where we enjoyed a short hike before heading to the hot springs. I jumped between the hot springs and the Rio Grande, fully clothed in my swimsuit, while Bill relaxed naked in the springs. Not long later, a guy and a woman in their early 20s traveling across the nation arrived. We all got to chatting, and Bill invited them to stay on his couch, and they agreed
Manuel Garza [CC BY-NC-SA 2.0] Flickr
That night, Bill and I, along with the young tourists, returned to the porch, where a group of tourists and locals in their 20s and 30s gathered. We shot off fireworks and sang ‘90s favorites to the strumming of a guitar, before dancing in one of the empty restaurants down the street. Finally, someone suggested we go skinny dipping in the creek.
I’d never skinny dipped with others before, but it was dark, and I was caught up in the spirit of letting loose and having fun. As the Terlinguan local mentioned the night before, it was hot, even at 11 p.m. After an hour or so of skinny dipping, someone suggested we head over to Bill’s house, where—just as the locals described it—an impromptu naked party broke out.
I never imagined I’d attend a naked party, with the lights on, where everyone could see, well, everything. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel any awkwardness or discomfort at the naked party. Instead, people looked each other in the eye when they spoke. No one touched each other inappropriately or tried to engage in sexual activity. We simply ate pizza and drank beer in the buff, as if it were any other late-night hang.
Boz Bros [CC BY-NC-SA 2.0] Flickr
Since attending my first naked party, I’ve reflected on the experience and how freeing it felt for someone like me to be naked around strangers. Until this trip, I was known for being a little high-strung and fearful of taking risks. Admittedly, I often held myself back from doing anything fun or spontaneous out of concern that something “bad” might happen.
Since the naked party, I’ve been more willing to take risks while traveling, seeking outlandish, odd, or once-in-a-lifetime experiences. It has led me to more nude spaces like a sex resort, unique experiences like paranormal investigations in haunted mansions, and nights partying with professional snowboarders in Aspen. All it took was daring to shed my clothes, freeing myself to become the kind of traveler who says yes to adventure
Ryman to acquire JW Marriott in Phoenix for $865M
The REIT will make one of the largest hotel transactions so far in 2025 by acquiring the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort, its first property in the Southwest.
Trinity Investments purchased the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort for $602 million in 2019.
https://www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com/Deals/Mergers-and-Acquistions/Ryman-to-acquire-JW-Marriott-in-Phoenix-for-865M
PHOENIX — Nashville-based REIT Ryman Hospitality Properties has signed an agreement to purchase the 950-key JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Arizona from Honolulu-based Trinity Investments for $865 million, one of the largest hotel transactions so far in 2025.
“The JW Marriott Desert Ridge has been one of our top acquisition targets for many years. Given the limited availability of marquee group-focused assets that complement our existing portfolio and group strategy, we are thrilled to acquire this resort,” said Mark Fioravanti, president and CEO of Ryman. “Considering the strength of our forward bookings, the durable nature of our group business model and our early success with the 2023 acquisition of the JW Marriott Hill Country, we believe this is the right transaction for creating long-term customer and shareholder value.”
Trinity purchased the property for $602 million in 2019 and in 2023 put nearly $100 million in capital investments into the resort, including renovating its rooms, lobby, adding a new water complex and reimagining its F&B outlets. The resort will continue to operate under the JW Marriott flag.
According to Ryman, the purchase price represents a 12.7x adjusted EBITDAre multiple on the resort’s 2024 results. The property’s 2025 results are expected to be impacted by construction disruption related to a meeting space renovation currently underway and ongoing through the third quarter of this year. Ryman said it expects the acquisition of the property to be accretive to adjusted funds from operations per fully diluted share for 2026.
The transaction is expected to close in the second or third quarter of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions. Fioravanti said the resort has no new competitive supply under development.
“Furthermore, consistent with previous investments, we look forward to pursuing both near and long-term value creation opportunities at this property, which over time we believe will further improve the customer value proposition and enhance shareholder returns.”
The resort sits on approximately 402 acres of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert and has approximately 243,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space.
Analysis of the deal
Analyst Patrick Scholes of Truist Securities said the balance of acquisition costs is expected to be funded with cash on hand and debt, possibly including the REIT’s revolving credit facility. He also said the resort is a natural progression from Ryman’s initial success of acquiring the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country in Texas in 2023.
“We are not terribly surprised that [Ryman] is acquiring a resort in the greater Phoenix area, as they have suggested in the past they would like to own in this region,” he said. “This continues to diversify [Ryman] geographically as its first hotel in the Southwest.”
Scholes said the resort is a “very rational addition” but with one caveat.
“One big wrinkle… regarding this acquisition and timing is where we are in the lodging cycle — with macro downside risks/uncertainty not just to leisure demand but also group,” he said. “[Ryman] defended its views, but we maintain some caution as to why purchase now. We question if investor and analyst attention may end up focusing more on this acquisition and less on fundamentals for the other properties, particularly as Desert Ridge should have very easy group comps in 2026.”
Scholes said Ryman views the acquisition as solid and has strong competitive advantages during short-term market dislocation.
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