SEARCH FOR LIFE ON EARTH ABANDONED
Ironically, while the Mars Curiosity rover continues its daily search for evidence of past life-hospitable environments on the surface of Mars, a project seeking evidence of simple lifeforms in an ancient lake deep below the Antarctic ice has been abandoned due to technical problems drilling the boreholes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20850360

The British Antarctic Survey project aimed to drill 1.8 miles down into the ice to reach a lake and search for traces of simple life forms from up to 0.5 million years ago, as well as gather climate record data. Hopefully the project can be resumed in due course.

Two ambitious and potentially highly significant scientific quests.

ANOTHER EXO-PLANET IN 'GOLDILOCKS' ZONE

A planet has been discovered only 12 light years away from Earth, in the 'inhabitable' or 'Goldilocks' zone, where liquid water is possible, circling a single sun-like star named Tau Ceti.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20770103

The total number of exo-planets discovered is now 854. It looks ever more likely that earth-like planets abound in our galaxy.