Alien life question answered in 40 years?

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LONDON, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Britain's Royal Astronomer says scientists may be able to say within 40 years whether there is life somewhere else in the universe besides Earth.

Martin Rees, former president of the Royal Society, said he believed astrophysicists could be able to view images of distant planets outside the solar system as soon as 2025, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

"Within 10 or 20 years we will be able to image other planets like [Earth], orbiting other stars," he said. "That will be a really exciting subject to see if there is evidence for [extra-terrestrial] life or not."

Asked what changes could be expected in science in the next 40 years, Rees said understanding more about the "origin of life, the place where it exists, and whether aliens exist, is going to be crucial."

Rees has been Astronomer Royal -- a senior position within the Royal Household offering advice to the queen on astronomical matters -- since 1995.