Keith Cooper
@keithpcooper.bsky.social
Science journalist; author of The Contact Paradox (Bloomsbury Sigma, 2019) and Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact (Reaktion Books, 2025), which was selected for the Locus 2025 Recommended Reading List.
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Keith Cooper
@keithpcooper.bsky.social
· Dec 15
My book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, published by Reaktion Books, explores the intersection between the alien worlds of science fiction and real exoplanets. Featuring interviews with scientists and sf authors, it's aimed at readers of popular science and science fiction.
The latest by me: exciting astrobiology news! Amino acids in the sample brought back by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission to the asteroid Bennu have a different origin to those found in meteorites, suggesting that there basic building blocks for life could have been widespread www.space.com/astronomy/as...
Asteroid samples NASA brought to Earth suggest life's building blocks may be widespread in the universe
"This confirms that life's building blocks can be formed in a diversity of environments throughout the universe."
www.space.com
February 12, 2026 at 10:51 AM
The latest by me: exciting astrobiology news! Amino acids in the sample brought back by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission to the asteroid Bennu have a different origin to those found in meteorites, suggesting that there basic building blocks for life could have been widespread www.space.com/astronomy/as...
Reposted by Keith Cooper
For more about Amazing Worlds, take a listen to @jackewilson.bsky.social's conversation with author Keith Cooper.
@reaktionbooks.bsky.social #books #sciencefiction #sciencefact
@reaktionbooks.bsky.social #books #sciencefiction #sciencefact
February 11, 2026 at 1:15 PM
For more about Amazing Worlds, take a listen to @jackewilson.bsky.social's conversation with author Keith Cooper.
@reaktionbooks.bsky.social #books #sciencefiction #sciencefact
@reaktionbooks.bsky.social #books #sciencefiction #sciencefact
New, by me: Did the Viking landers discover life on Mars 50 years ago? A new paper convincingly argues that there's a very good chance they did, and rather than the results being swept under the rug, a scientific debate is needed to figure out what Viking really found. www.space.com/space-explor...
Did the Viking missions discover life on Mars 50 years ago? These scientists think so
The key to solving the mystery of the Viking results is the discovery of perchlorate on the Martian surface in 2008.
www.space.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:48 PM
New, by me: Did the Viking landers discover life on Mars 50 years ago? A new paper convincingly argues that there's a very good chance they did, and rather than the results being swept under the rug, a scientific debate is needed to figure out what Viking really found. www.space.com/space-explor...
Reposted by Keith Cooper
The Locus 2025 Recommended Reading List is out, and vote in the awards!
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February 11, 2026 at 8:30 AM
The Locus 2025 Recommended Reading List is out, and vote in the awards!
📌 buff.ly/f6POPqk
📚 buff.ly/1Lb4PGQ
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📚 buff.ly/1Lb4PGQ
Looks like the paperback version of my book, Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, is being released in October 2026 by @reaktionbooks.bsky.social ! You can pre-order a copy by following the link. And don't forget to vote for it in the Locus Awards! reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/amazing...
February 10, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Looks like the paperback version of my book, Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, is being released in October 2026 by @reaktionbooks.bsky.social ! You can pre-order a copy by following the link. And don't forget to vote for it in the Locus Awards! reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/amazing...
This just popped through my letterbox - the latest edition of Physics World with my icy moons article on the cover! I've previously posted a link to the digital version of the article, but as a physical media guy I'll never get tired of seeing my work in print. Thanks @physicsworld.bsky.social!
February 3, 2026 at 2:38 PM
This just popped through my letterbox - the latest edition of Physics World with my icy moons article on the cover! I've previously posted a link to the digital version of the article, but as a physical media guy I'll never get tired of seeing my work in print. Thanks @physicsworld.bsky.social!
I'm gobsmacked that my book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact made the Locus 2025 Recommended Reading List! A big thank you to @locusmag.bsky.social for including me. If you've read my book and enjoyed it please consider voting for it in the Locus Awards (details in the link).
Hey, the @locusmag.bsky.social annual Recommended Reading list is up for 2025! Which means voting is open for the Locus Awards!
locusmag.com/2026/02/2025...
locusmag.com/2026/02/2025...
2025 Recommended Reading List
Welcome to the Locus Recommended Reading List… We saw some fabulous books come out last year and are so pleased to let you know about them! Our recommendations are compiled annually by the Locus re…
locusmag.com
February 1, 2026 at 3:47 PM
I'm gobsmacked that my book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact made the Locus 2025 Recommended Reading List! A big thank you to @locusmag.bsky.social for including me. If you've read my book and enjoyed it please consider voting for it in the Locus Awards (details in the link).
A little weekend reading: my new article explores whether there's any risk in doing SETI. Should we be concerned about downloading an interstellar Trojan horse such as a malicious program or hostile AI? Yes, but for me it shouldn't outweigh the reasons for doing SETI supercluster.com/editorial/pl...
Pluribus and the Alien Trojan Horse: Is SETI Dangerous?
The plot of Apple TV's new hit show Pluribus is a terrifying case study in SETI gone wrong.
supercluster.com
January 31, 2026 at 7:15 AM
A little weekend reading: my new article explores whether there's any risk in doing SETI. Should we be concerned about downloading an interstellar Trojan horse such as a malicious program or hostile AI? Yes, but for me it shouldn't outweigh the reasons for doing SETI supercluster.com/editorial/pl...
I'm excited to be back on the newsstand after a six-month absence with my article about the fate of planets after their sun dies, published in the February 2026 issue of the BBC's The Sky at Night magazine. With many thanks to the S@N editorial team - I think the article turned out pretty good!
January 20, 2026 at 2:39 PM
I'm excited to be back on the newsstand after a six-month absence with my article about the fate of planets after their sun dies, published in the February 2026 issue of the BBC's The Sky at Night magazine. With many thanks to the S@N editorial team - I think the article turned out pretty good!
The icy moons of the outer Solar System, with their hidden underground oceans, entice us with their great potential for alien life. My new article for @physicsworld.bsky.social explores what makes these moons so exciting and the spacecraft armada heading to them. physicsworld.com/a/exploring-...
Exploring the icy moons of the solar system – Physics World
Could the icy moons of our solar system hold life beyond our planet? Keith Cooper looks at how planetary scientists plan to find out
physicsworld.com
January 1, 2026 at 3:48 PM
The icy moons of the outer Solar System, with their hidden underground oceans, entice us with their great potential for alien life. My new article for @physicsworld.bsky.social explores what makes these moons so exciting and the spacecraft armada heading to them. physicsworld.com/a/exploring-...
It's been a difficult year professionally, but I'd like to thank everyone at @physicsworld.bsky.social, @reaktionbooks.bsky.social, @europlanetmedia.bsky.social, The Sky at Night magazine, Supercluster.com and the team at Space.com for their support and continuing to value my work. Happy new year!
December 31, 2025 at 10:10 AM
It's been a difficult year professionally, but I'd like to thank everyone at @physicsworld.bsky.social, @reaktionbooks.bsky.social, @europlanetmedia.bsky.social, The Sky at Night magazine, Supercluster.com and the team at Space.com for their support and continuing to value my work. Happy new year!
Space.com asked for my top stories of the year, and with an interstellar comet, potential biosignatures, new nearby exoplanets, dark energy surprises, black-hole stars, @lsstuk.bsky.social coming online & more, 2025 was a wild year in space! What were your top stories? www.space.com/astronomy/th...
The top astronomical discoveries of 2025
From new exoplanetary neighbors and a weakening dark energy to the best evidence for life on Mars and an interstellar comet that's got everyone talking, 2025 has been jam-packed with astronomical exci...
www.space.com
December 29, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Space.com asked for my top stories of the year, and with an interstellar comet, potential biosignatures, new nearby exoplanets, dark energy surprises, black-hole stars, @lsstuk.bsky.social coming online & more, 2025 was a wild year in space! What were your top stories? www.space.com/astronomy/th...
Here's a festive story: was the Star of Bethlehem a comet that came as close to the Earth as the Moon? Mark Matney of NASA thinks that's one possible explanation that fits all the observational properties of the star, and I describe his work in my latest article: www.space.com/astronomy/co...
Could the Star of Bethlehem have actually been a comet?
The direction, distance and motion of the comet through the sky during its closest approach could have made it seem like it was hovering over Bethlehem when Jesus was said to have been born.
www.space.com
December 24, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Here's a festive story: was the Star of Bethlehem a comet that came as close to the Earth as the Moon? Mark Matney of NASA thinks that's one possible explanation that fits all the observational properties of the star, and I describe his work in my latest article: www.space.com/astronomy/co...
This was a really intriguing story for me to write. Are transients on the Palomar plates UFOs or something more mundane? I favour the mundane, but that unusual statistic of a 1/3 of transients disappearing in Earth's shadow needs verification & explanation first. www.supercluster.com/editorial/th...
The Palomar Lights: Did ET Watch Our Nuclear Tests?
Beatriz Villarroel of Stockholm University leads VASCO, the Vanishing and Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations project. She claims to have found anomalous objects on digitized versions o...
www.supercluster.com
December 17, 2025 at 4:34 PM
This was a really intriguing story for me to write. Are transients on the Palomar plates UFOs or something more mundane? I favour the mundane, but that unusual statistic of a 1/3 of transients disappearing in Earth's shadow needs verification & explanation first. www.supercluster.com/editorial/th...
My book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, published by Reaktion Books, explores the intersection between the alien worlds of science fiction and real exoplanets. Featuring interviews with scientists and sf authors, it's aimed at readers of popular science and science fiction.
December 15, 2025 at 4:24 PM
My book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, published by Reaktion Books, explores the intersection between the alien worlds of science fiction and real exoplanets. Featuring interviews with scientists and sf authors, it's aimed at readers of popular science and science fiction.
I write about more discoveries in the samples returned to Earth from the asteroid Bennu by NASA's OSIRIS-REx, including, excitingly, ribose, which means that all the ingredients of RNA have now been found on Bennu. Could RNA have come to Earth from space? physicsworld.com/a/components...
Components of RNA among life’s building blocks found in NASA asteroid sample – Physics World
Samples from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu found to contain molecules and compounds vital to the origin of life
physicsworld.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:25 PM
I write about more discoveries in the samples returned to Earth from the asteroid Bennu by NASA's OSIRIS-REx, including, excitingly, ribose, which means that all the ingredients of RNA have now been found on Bennu. Could RNA have come to Earth from space? physicsworld.com/a/components...
Is there a protocol that scientists can follow should they discover evidence of extraterrestrial life? Indeed there is! What's more, it's getting an update next year. I talk to one of its chief architects in my latest SETI-related article for @supercluster.com www.supercluster.com/editorial/ne...
New SETI Protocols: How Will Scientists Announce the Discovery of Alien Life?
You’ve discovered an alien signal, but before you get to the point that you’re appearing on talk shows and advising Steven Spielberg (or should it be Robert Zemeckis?) on the film adaptation, what are...
www.supercluster.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Is there a protocol that scientists can follow should they discover evidence of extraterrestrial life? Indeed there is! What's more, it's getting an update next year. I talk to one of its chief architects in my latest SETI-related article for @supercluster.com www.supercluster.com/editorial/ne...
New by me: it's not quite forked lightning, but lightning of sorts has been detected on Mars for the first time, as small electrical discharges during dust devils, in the windy fronts of dust storms and even from the rover itself when it becomes charged by dust www.space.com/astronomy/ma...
Electric discovery on Mars! Scientists find tiny lightning bolts coming from Red Planet dust clouds
Could these bolts destroy evidence of ancient Red Planet life?
www.space.com
December 1, 2025 at 3:12 PM
New by me: it's not quite forked lightning, but lightning of sorts has been detected on Mars for the first time, as small electrical discharges during dust devils, in the windy fronts of dust storms and even from the rover itself when it becomes charged by dust www.space.com/astronomy/ma...
Could bizarre particles formed in the instant after the Big Bang have formed even weirder 'cannibal stars' and 'boson stars' that collapsed into primordial black holes? And could those black holes contribute to dark matter today? My latest for Physics World physicsworld.com/a/did-cannib...
Did cannibal stars and boson stars populate the early universe? – Physics World
Objects formed by exotic particles could have created primordial black holes
physicsworld.com
November 27, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Could bizarre particles formed in the instant after the Big Bang have formed even weirder 'cannibal stars' and 'boson stars' that collapsed into primordial black holes? And could those black holes contribute to dark matter today? My latest for Physics World physicsworld.com/a/did-cannib...
New, by me: researchers in China have found that some caves on Mars could have been formed by water and be the perfect location, shielded from the radiation- and dust-shrouded surface, to hunt for ancient biosignatures: www.space.com/astronomy/ma...
Evidence of ancient life on Mars could be hidden away in colossal water-carved caves
Skylights, openings in the surface of Mars that descend down into caves, have been found on Mars, along with signatures for the presence of water ice.
www.space.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:18 AM
New, by me: researchers in China have found that some caves on Mars could have been formed by water and be the perfect location, shielded from the radiation- and dust-shrouded surface, to hunt for ancient biosignatures: www.space.com/astronomy/ma...
I delve into the world of quantum physics, and write about a new paper that proposes how matter can become quantum entangled via classical gravitational fields, even if quantum gravity doesn't exist: www.space.com/astronomy/do...
Does quantum gravity exist? A new experiment has deepened the mystery
Does quantum gravity exist? A new experiment has deepened the mystery
www.space.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:40 AM
I delve into the world of quantum physics, and write about a new paper that proposes how matter can become quantum entangled via classical gravitational fields, even if quantum gravity doesn't exist: www.space.com/astronomy/do...
I'm absolutely honoured to see Amazing Worlds reviewed in Locus!
"Examining how the cutting-edge science of exoplanets has enriched or superseded science fiction’s most beloved planetary conventions ... his twin passions for the cosmos of what is and of what might be kept me enthralled throughout."
"Examining how the cutting-edge science of exoplanets has enriched or superseded science fiction’s most beloved planetary conventions ... his twin passions for the cosmos of what is and of what might be kept me enthralled throughout."
Alvaro Zinos-Amaro reviews AMAZING WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTION AND SCIENCE FACT by @keithpcooper.bsky.social: “Both field guide and literary concordance, it bridges star maps with story arcs.”
Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact by Keith Cooper: Review by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro
Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, Keith Cooper (Reaktion 978-1789149944, $22.50, 224pp, hc) May 2025. In Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, space journalist Keith…
locusmag.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:01 AM
I'm absolutely honoured to see Amazing Worlds reviewed in Locus!
"Examining how the cutting-edge science of exoplanets has enriched or superseded science fiction’s most beloved planetary conventions ... his twin passions for the cosmos of what is and of what might be kept me enthralled throughout."
"Examining how the cutting-edge science of exoplanets has enriched or superseded science fiction’s most beloved planetary conventions ... his twin passions for the cosmos of what is and of what might be kept me enthralled throughout."
New, by me: complex organic molecules, which are among the most basic building blocks of life, have been found as ice encrusting dust around a protostar in the Large Magellanic Cloud, evidence that the chemistry for life is present at the earliest stages of star-birth: www.space.com/astronomy/ja...
JWST makes 1st-ever detection of complex organic molecules around star in galaxy beyond our Milky Way
JWST makes 1st-ever detection of complex organic molecules around star in galaxy beyond our Milky Way
www.space.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:18 PM
New, by me: complex organic molecules, which are among the most basic building blocks of life, have been found as ice encrusting dust around a protostar in the Large Magellanic Cloud, evidence that the chemistry for life is present at the earliest stages of star-birth: www.space.com/astronomy/ja...
Worried about 3I/ATLAS? Don't be – it is just a comet, and like cats, comets have tails and do as they please. Here's my guide to 3I/ATLAS (written before perihelion) and how to debunk some of the more extravagant claims about this cosmic cat on the loose: supercluster.com/editorial/do...
Don’t Panic! 3I/ATLAS is Just a Comet
Starting in July 2025, scientists have had the opportunity to study just the third documented interstellar object to enter the Solar System.
supercluster.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Worried about 3I/ATLAS? Don't be – it is just a comet, and like cats, comets have tails and do as they please. Here's my guide to 3I/ATLAS (written before perihelion) and how to debunk some of the more extravagant claims about this cosmic cat on the loose: supercluster.com/editorial/do...
What will we lose when the ISS is de-orbited in 2030? The way that science was done on the station, through process, cooperation and peer-review, might not be replicated when commercial stations are launched to fill the void left by the ISS. My latest: www.space.com/space-explor...
The International Space Station will fall to Earth in 2030. Can a private space station really fill its gap?
"He looked me straight in the eye and said, 'the space station is the experiment.'"
www.space.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:01 AM
What will we lose when the ISS is de-orbited in 2030? The way that science was done on the station, through process, cooperation and peer-review, might not be replicated when commercial stations are launched to fill the void left by the ISS. My latest: www.space.com/space-explor...