- Cornell University researchers propose a new approach to extraterrestrial life
- Planets with aliens might emit a distinct purple hue
- Purple bacteria’s adaptation suggests life could exist elsewhere
Existence beyond Earth is one of the most significant unanswered scientific concerns. Moreover, where does it conceal itself?
At this time, Cornell University scientists believe they have significantly advanced in their quest for extraterrestrial life.
They assert in a new study that planets that may be home to extraterrestrial life may emit a distinct purple hue.
We are just beginning to see the fascinating worlds that surround us,” said co-author of the study and Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger.
“Purple bacteria can survive and thrive in such a wide variety of environments that it is easy to imagine that purple may become the new green” in many different worlds.
An unmistakable shade of green is commonly linked to life on Earth.
Nevertheless, existence on other planets might appear entirely dissimilar.
The team’s new investigation aimed to determine what extraterrestrial hunters ought to be looking for.
Dr. Kaltenegger stated, “We must create a database for signs of life to ensure that our telescopes do not miss life if it differs slightly in appearance from the everyday objects we observe.”
The scientists compiled an inventory of various minerals and organisms’ chemical signatures and hues.
Their analysis revealed that purple bacteria can generate energy for photosynthesis via invisible infrared radiation.
The researchers hypothesized that purple microbes were, therefore, prevalent on early Earth before the emergence of photosynthesis in plant forms.
“They already flourish in specific niches here,” said the study’s first author, Lgia Fonseca Coelho.
Purple bacteria may thrive in extraterrestrial environments revolving around more excellent red dwarf stars, our galaxy’s most prevalent form of stars.
Dr. Coelho stated, “Imagine if they did not have to contend with green plants, algae, and bacteria.”
“A red sun might provide the optimal environment for them to engage in photosynthesis.”
Moreover, according to the researchers, these planets would generate a unique “light fingerprint” that telescopes could detect on the ground and in space.
Dr Coelho stated, “We now have the means to search for purple bacteria that may be thriving on the surface of a frozen Earth, an ocean world, a snowball Earth, or a modern Earth orbiting a cooler star.”
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The new research was published shortly after scientists hypothesized that extraterrestrial life might be concealing itself much closer to Earth.
According to scientists from the University of Washington, NASA’s $178 million mission to Jupiter’s moon in 2030 could corroborate the existence of extraterrestrial life.
In October, NASA is scheduled to initiate the Europa Clipper’s 5.5-day voyage to the icy moon Europa, where it will conduct four years of scientific investigation.
The researchers analyzed the instruments aboard the vessel in a recent study, which determined that they could detect a solitary living cell in a minuscule ice grain expelled from the moon’s oceans.
