What are the planets outside our solar system like? Astrophysicist and TED Fellow Jessie Christiansen has helped find thousands of them (and counting), and the variety is more wonderful and wild than you might imagine. She shares details on the trends emerging from the data -- including the intriguing possibility of "super-Earths" -- and what the discovery of exoplanets means for existential questions like: Where do we come from, and how did we get here?

Jessie Christiansen: What the discovery of exoplanets reveals about the universe

What the discovery of exoplanets reveals about the universe

Exploration isn't confined to the past or future; today, we traverse the cosmos, unveiling exoplanets in our galaxy's nooks.

The cosmos teems with variety, from evaporating to ultra-dense planets, challenging our understanding of planetary life cycles.

The pursuit to photograph an Earth-like exoplanet could unlock secrets of life's signatures across the universe's vast expanses.