New Way to Detect Alien Life Discovered

The powerful new model can help detect life on extrasolar planets more effectively than ever before.

Developed by researchers from the University College London, the technique works by analyzing the absorption of different colored light by an extrasolar planet's atmosphere and then comparing it to a predetermined spectrum to find out which molecules may be present there.

The new model will focus primarily on finding methane, the simplest organic molecule that is often used as an indicator for the presence of life.

"Current models of methane are incomplete, leading to a severe underestimation of methane levels on planets," said Professor Jonathan Tennyson. "We anticipate our new model will have a big impact on the future study of planets and 'cool' stars external to our solar system, potentially helping scientists identify signs of extraterrestrial life."

If all goes well then the new technique could soon be used to analyze the atmospheres of planets discovered around distant stars in an effort to determine whether life may have developed there.

Read more here: www.ndtv.com...

There seems to be some new discovery in space exploration on a daily basis now.
Thanks to some scientists from London, now we can sniff the aliens out .
Why the sudden hurry to advance in this area lately?
One has to wonder.
Is this just naturally humanity's next step/ direction or is there another reason?

Anyways,I thought the news was interesting enough to share.

What say you dear ATS members?

edit on 18/6/2014 by Rainbowresidue because: (no reason given)

originally posted by: Rainbowresidue

Thanks to some scientists from London, now we can sniff the aliens out .

Leave it to the British to start looking for Alien Farts...

(For those of you not so inclined, Methane=Farts)

msnucleus.org
This site has lists of atmospheric gases on other planets in our solar system.
Some have methane.... Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune.
Is there life on those that do?

originally posted by: butcherguy
msnucleus.org
This site has lists of atmospheric gases on other planets in our solar system.
Some have methane.... Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune.
Is there life on those that do?

Good. Theres methane in Uranus - not exactly news, but... thanks for the headsup... Butch. Now we just need a team of qualified scientists brave enough to explore Uranus in search for life.

originally posted by: FraternitasSaturni

originally posted by: butcherguy
msnucleus.org
This site has lists of atmospheric gases on other planets in our solar system.
Some have methane.... Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune.
Is there life on those that do?

Good. Theres methane in Uranus - not exactly news, but... thanks for the headsup... Butch. Now we just need a team of qualified scientists brave enough to explore Uranus in search for life.

Depends on whether or not they find Klingons. That "first contact" could get, um, messy
< insert Beavis & Butthead laugh >

Anyway, this is pretty interesting. I'd assume they'll be looking for a certain ratio range for it to indicate possible life, rather than a straight up big detection of methane.

originally posted by: Nyiah


Anyway, this is pretty interesting. I'd assume they'll be looking for a certain ratio range for it to indicate possible life, rather than a straight up big detection of methane.

I was thinking along those lines too. Alas they weren't exactly sharing all their details yet about this new discovery. I read two sources and both seemed a little vague to me. Perhaps later on they will elaborate more.

originally posted by: FraternitasSaturni

originally posted by: butcherguy
msnucleus.org
This site has lists of atmospheric gases on other planets in our solar system.
Some have methane.... Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune.
Is there life on those that do?

Good. Theres methane in Uranus - not exactly news, but... thanks for the headsup... Butch. Now we just need a team of qualified scientists brave enough to explore Uranus in search for life.

Or for something that has died.

a reply to: FraternitasSaturni

Now we just need a team of qualified scientists brave enough to explore Uranus in search for life.

No, I'm not having any of that. They have to strap me down for a Doctor to do any exploring there.

I think its being done already...

a reply to: Rainbowresidue

Well, this is a conspiracy site, and older NASA seems to be tied with a lot of hidden agendas, so let's say the focus on space now has a hidden agenda behind it. I believe the governments believe WW3 is inevitable and nuclear war is also inevitable. With Earth destroyed, we'll need space and all the help we can get from it.

a reply to: Rainbowresidue


Methane is common so im not sure how effective this method really is.

a reply to: dragonridr

I don't know either.

Maybe they're looking for a certain amount.

Guys, we are going to find the stinkiest aliens in the universe, I tell you!

a reply to: Rainbowresidue
I noticed that methane isn't listed in the trace gases in the atmosphere of the Earth.
So I looked it up.
Here is the percentage of Earth's atmosphere that is methane: 0.000179%
According to Wikipedia

Someone is obviously taking on board what I am saying then.

Goldilocks zone is frequency related.
Frequency that suits life. Find the frequency see the colour see the light.

Good News Everyone... They've invented the smell-o-scope!!!



Smell-O-Scope

I hope they'll find a way to look for more complex organic molecules. Methane is the simplest organic molecule, and doesn't necessarily point to life. Saturn's moon Titan has lakes and seas of it.

What is important about this is that methane in a certain combination with the detection of other gasses like oxygen in certain ratios are what are called 'biomarkers' or markers indicating a life-bearing world.

Astronomers would determine this by analyzing the reflected light of an exoplanet and looking for absorption lines in the spectra (the rainbow pattern similar to what you get when you put sunlight through a prism) of the light from the planet.

Here is what the Earth's spectrum indicates:



When compared to other planets in our solar system it looks very interesting. Other planets do not have free oxygen in large amounts because the only thing which can produce it, as far as we know, is life.

So finding both methane and oxygen together in certain ratios could be strong evidence of a life bearing world.

Here's a video explaining this towards the end:



We have done a mission called EPOXI which looked at the Earth from a far distance to see what gasses might be detectable from future ground and space telescopes.




Read more at: Earth as an Exoplanet - Astrobiology Magazine[/url]

edit on 25-6-2014 by JadeStar because: (no reason given)