May 21, 2026
New Collaborative Research Center for research into planetary habitability
Are we really alone? New Collaborative Research Center investigates where life would be possible in space - and what that means for society.
Where in the universe could life-friendly conditions arise? And what would it mean for science, the media and the public if evidence of extraterrestrial life were to be found or humans were to live permanently on the moon and Mars? The new Collaborative Research Center (CRC), SFB 1759 "Habitability as a fundamental planetary process: Towards a paradigm shift away from our perception of the uniqueness of Earth", which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG ) and coordinated at Freie Universität Berlin, deals with these questions.
The CRC investigates habitability not only as a special feature of the Earth, but also as a possible fundamental planetary process that is shaped by physical, chemical, geological and astronomical conditions. In addition to scientific research into potentially habitable environments and biosignatures, the network also focuses on the social consequences of this research: How are relevant discoveries communicated? What uncertainties, risks and ethical issues play a role? And how does public trust arise in a field of research that is associated with great hopes, but also with speculation?
At the Institute of Media and Communication at TU Dresden, Prof. Sven Engesser, Chair of Media and Communication/Science and Technology Communication, is contributing his expertise to two sub-projects of the CRC.
In one sub-project, Prof. Engesser is responsible for the work package "Biosignatures, Uncertainty, and Public Trust". This will investigate how the public would perceive possible evidence of biosignatures in space and how different forms of scientific uncertainty influence trust in research on planetary habitability and extraterrestrial life. Experimental studies are planned to show how uncertainty communication shapes trust, credibility and the evaluation of scientific claims. The aim is also to develop empirically based recommendations for responsible science communication on possible evidence of life beyond Earth.
In another sub-project, Prof. Engesser is leading the work package "Media Coverage of Moon and Mars Colonization". This work package analyzes how the media report on human missions, outposts and possible settlements on the Moon and Mars. The focus is on questions of scientific uncertainty, technological risks, ethical challenges and social legitimacy. Methodologically, the project combines classical manual content analysis with AI-supported coding to examine media coverage of initiatives such as the Artemis program, European lunar activities and Mars plans of private space companies.
Together, the two work packages strengthen the social science perspective of the CRC. They ask how research at the frontiers of knowledge - from biosignatures to human presence on other celestial bodies - is publicly communicated, framed in the media and socially evaluated.
More information about the Collaborative Research Center and the participation of the IfK can be found here: