Exoplanet studies have come a long way in a short time. To date, 5,523 exoplanets have been confirmed in 4,117 systems, with another 9,867 candidates awaiting confirmation. With all these planets available for study, exoplanet researchers have been shifting their focus from detection to characterization—i.e., looking for potential signs of life and biological activity (biosignatures).
Click here for original story, A new planet-hunting instrument has been installed on the Very Large Telescope
Source: Phys.org