Over the past few years, there have been numerous advances, real and controversial, in the field of astrobiology. The recent discovery of thousands of possibly habitable exoplanets has really set the science in motion, but it has also raised some alarms. Are there really so many habitable exoplanets out there, or are we studying them wrong? We already know that life, whatever form it maybe in, produces certain gases.
For example, humans give out Carbon Dioxide, plants produce Oxygen and bacteria generates Methane. This is known as the “Biosignature” of that life form. This simple fact has attracted the attention of the planet hunters. If a habitable exoplanet has any sort of life, it will produce such gases.
These gases will get accumulated in the atmosphere of that planet. Spectroscopic measurements would allow astronomers to detect which planet has these gases and in turn, label them as habitable or not. NASA conducted a workshop in Seattle, Washington last week, the primary aim of which was spreading awareness about this technique in the scientific community.
Credit to Skywatchtv.com
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