Life on Earth is one possible outcome among many in an immense universe. Proxima Kósmos begins from the premise that biological and intelligent systems are shaped by planetary conditions—and that alternative conditions could give rise to forms of life that are speculative yet scientifically plausible.

Proxima Kósmos is a Future Humans project that brings together planetary scientists, astrobiologists, designers, and science-fiction writers to construct a simulated exosolar system. Each planet is shaped through scientific modeling and radical imagination, allowing collaborators to explore how different planetary environments might give rise to unfamiliar forms of life, intelligence, and ecological organization.

Rather than treating speculation as illustration, Proxima Kósmos uses speculative world-building as a method of inquiry. Through modeling, simulation, and narrative experimentation, the project examines how assumptions about habitability, evolution, and intelligence are produced—and how they might shift when imagined beyond Earth-centric conditions.

Proxima Kósmos takes shape across digital platforms, media, and public programs. Its outputs do not simply present imagined worlds; they document how engaging with speculative yet plausible planets reshapes how scientists, artists, and audiences think about life in the universe, and about life on Earth in the present.

Contributors

Proxima Kósmos is a collaboration among scientists, researchers, designers, artists, and writers working across planetary science, astrobiology, computation, speculative design, and science fiction.

Principal Investigators
Sara Seager — Professor of Planetary Science, Physics, and Aerospace Engineering, MIT
Iaroslav Iakubivskyi — Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT
Sam Kriegman — Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University
Leroy Cronin — Regius Chair of Chemistry, University of Glasgow
Sara Walker — Professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University
Penny Boston — Director, NASA Astrobiology Institute, NASA Ames
Jaco de Swart — Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT

Research Assistants
Estelle Janin — PhD Candidate, Arizona State University
Ranger Liu — MFA and PhD Student, University of Washington

Artists and Designers
Public/Official
Two-Eyed People
Shane Griffin
Wendi Yan

Writers
Ken Liu
Caroline Yoachim
S.B. Divya
Suparna Choudhury
John Murphy
Mary Robinette Kowal
Alex Shvartsman
Fran Wilde

Press Inquiries & Updates

For media inquiries, please contact Emily Badgley

image credit (at top): Wendi Yan