The quest to find life beyond Earth is one of humanity's most profound and enduring endeavors. Central to this search is the discovery of exoplanets – planets orbiting stars other than our Sun. Among these, the most compelling are Earth-like worlds: rocky planets within the habitable zone of their stars, where conditions might permit liquid water and potentially, life. However, the sheer volume of astronomical data generated by planet-hunting missions has made the task of identifying these elusive "alien Earths" akin to finding a needle in a cosmic haystack. Fortunately, artificial intelligence (AI) is providing scientists with powerful new tools to sift through this data, accelerating the search and revealing hidden treasures in the vast expanse of space.

The idea of a giant asteroid hurtling toward Earth sounds like the plot of a science fiction movie. However, it’s a very real, albeit low-probability, threat that scientists take incredibly seriously. While the vast majority of asteroids are harmlessly drifting through space, there are those near-Earth objects (NEOs) that could potentially intersect our planet’s orbit. Should a significantly large asteroid be on a direct collision course, the consequences would be catastrophic. This is where the concept of planetary defense comes into play, specifically the controversial but necessary “Armageddon” approach – the use of nuclear explosives to deflect or disrupt a dangerous asteroid.