Scientists now think we may be able to detect signs of life on planets beyond our solar system in the next few decades, but to do so new tools and techniques will be required. Researchers from around the world just produced a roadmap to develop the techniques that may finally answer the question of whether we are alone in the Universe. This work was published this month in five papers in the journal Astrobiology. These papers will serve as a reference for future research into how scientists can search for signs of life in the cosmos using telescope observations.