Smelly, poisonous molecule may be a sure-fire sign of extraterrestrial life

The article goes goes on to say that Phosphine has a spectroscopic signature that could be detected as far away as 16 light years by the new James Webb Space Telescope ! There are articles and scientist saying that within the next 10 years we will detect alien life if I remember correctly.. I say bring it on even if it is a smelly life form. There are just about 16,000 biosignature candidates that could be detected if their spectroscopic signatures could be decoded. Work is continuing to decipering the codes.

Phosphine is among the stinkiest, most toxic gases on Earth, found in some of the foulest of places, including penguin dung heaps, the depths of swamps and bogs, and even in the bowels of some badgers and fish. This putrid "swamp gas" is also highly flammable and reactive with particles in our atmosphere.

Most life on Earth, specifically all aerobic, oxygen-breathing life, wants nothing to do with phosphine, neither producing it nor relying on it for survival.

Now MIT researchers have found that phosphine is produced by another, less abundant life form: anaerobic organisms, such as bacteria and microbes, that don't require oxygen to thrive. The team found that phosphine cannot be produced in any other way except by these extreme, oxygen-averse organisms, making phosphine a pure biosignature—a sign of life (at least of a certain kind).

phys.org...

a reply to: 727Sky

The irony of this is amazing-
Phosphine,which is responsible for "swamp gas",which has been used as an explanation for UFOs,could in the future be what actually points us to Alien life on distant planets!

Seriously though-To make a telescope able to detect such gas from 16 light years away is an incredible feat.

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

Ha, see it this way:
They were not lying all these times.

a reply to: 727Sky



Adami is a bit pompous jerk but he's absolutely brilliant with his life detection ideas.

The article goes goes on to say that Phosphine has a spectroscopic signature that could be detected as far away as 16 light years by the new James Webb Space Telescope !

When you first read that , or at any time , did you ask yourself "How" ?
I can say the why...
"Bring on the funding"

a reply to: 727Sky

This must be what my bad hernia mesh is made of

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

Alien Farts ……….??

A lot of human based assumption. The way things are on Earth may only be a small subset of the universe. But it may be worth a try.

originally posted by: roadgravel
A lot of human based assumption. The way things are on Earth may only be a small subset of the universe. But it may be worth a try.

Agreed but try it. Why not.

It’s not like if it fails we went backward.

People don’t see the value in an error. Lots to be learned from not finding the solution.