Toxic substances can indicate the presence of life on extrasolar planets
Source:
View on one of the exoplanets and moons in the representation of the artist
Phosphine — one of the most unpleasant smelling and poisonous gases on Earth, which can be found in the dirtiest places on the planet: in the manure piles of penguins in the depths of the swamps and even in some badgers and fish. This putrid «marsh gas» highly flammable and reacts with particles in our atmosphere. As the portal , despite the fact that most of the organisms trying to stay away from the phosphine, selected anaerobic bacteria and microbes use the gas as familiar to us all oxygen. What could this discovery mean for the search of life on distant exoplanets?
How to find life on exoplanet?
Finding the tracks “brothers on reason” has always been one of the main goals of modern astronomy. According to the latest news, experts from mit have discovered a potentially promising method of search that uses phosphine as an alternative of oxygen. In an article recently published in the journal Astrobiology, the researchers report that if the phosphine was produced in quantities similar to methane on Earth, the gas would be able to generate a large amount of light in the planet's atmosphere. So, the scientists say that the brightness would be quite sufficient to ensure that we were able to detect from a distance of 16 light years with the help of modern space telescope.
Despite the fact that the Earth is the main symptom of the existence of life is oxygen, it may play a role of the above-mentioned phosphine, which may be for researchers potential of biosignal. However, this substance was discovered in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn — extremely hot gas giants. Scientists believe that the desired substance was only discovered because the molecules of the phosphine was thrown into the upper atmosphere thanks to the huge, size of a large planet, convective storms.
Jupiter was found indicating the potential presence of life substance — phosphine
Experts from the Massachusetts Institute of technology noted that the phosphine is a very toxic substance, which on Earth can be detected almost everywhere in the lacustrine and swamp deposits. As a substance consisting of a single phosphorus atom and three hydrogen atoms, which are usually not connected with natural conditions, phosphine requires huge amounts of energy for their education. Its presence explains the origin of matter in the atmospheres of the giant planets , but rocky objects with less amount of energy, the phosphine can indicate the presence of life.
In order to test this, scientists simulated the atmosphere of idealized, oxygen-poor earth-like exoplanets, the main components of aerial shell which were hydrogen and carbon dioxide. In the simulation it was discovered that if the phosphine is produced in relatively small quantities, equivalent to the amount of methane produced on Earth today, he would have made a strong signal in the atmosphere, which would be clear enough to be detected by the advanced Observatory. Well, it seems to verify the theory of the astronomers of the phosphine, we will be able in the near future, when the orbit will finally be launched to space .
Recommended
The Americans on the moon: what everyone should know?
the Upcoming cosmonautics day is my favorite holiday. It marks the triumph of the human mind: in just four thousand years Homo Sapiens went from hunter-gatherers to space explorers. 12 April 1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in ...
Why are some galaxies spiral shaped?
you Know what surprised me the most? The fact that we perceive the surrounding world as it is. Animals, plants, the laws of physics and the cosmos are perceived by many people as something so mundane and boring that they invent fairies, ghosts, monst...
Astronomers were able to see the death of another star system
In the cosmic ocean drifts a lot of mysteries about the existence of which we are unaware. One of these was uncovered five years ago, when astronomers have discovered a lonely star at a distance of 570 light years from Earth, the brightness of which ...
Related News
Distant galaxies reveal the secret of the formation of stars in the Universe
the New radio image is covered by points, each of which represents a distant galaxy. Numerous dim point, filling the sky — it is a distant galaxy similar to the milky Way that we see for the first time have you Heard anythin...
Scientists first recorded the magnetic explosion on the Sun
the Researchers recorded the most powerful flare on the Sun Astronomers recorded the most powerful explosion on the surface , unlike anything they have ever seen. Despite the fact that the existence of such explosions experts expe...
Why some planets eat their own atmosphere?
Surface exoplanets an artist's concept of for many years our Solar system was the only one in the Universe. At least I thought so mankind before the discovery of the first exoplanet in the late 1980-ies. That is since the best tel...
The researchers plan to return to Venus
Venus Could someday become a potential place for human colonization. Venus — the evil twin of the Earth, are extremely reluctant to allow researchers to study its surface. However, this planet hides a huge amount of informat...
Strange auroras of Mars showed climate change on the red planet
View from space polar lights the Aurora — truly an impressive sight, which can periodically be seen in the high latitudes of our planet. You know, the lights are formed by the interaction of particles in our planet's atmosph...
Created the first ever map of the surface of the pulsar
Neutron stars — the densest objects in the Universe Recently, scientists have made a detailed map of the moon of Saturn . Thanks to modern technology and the robotic machines that we send into space since the 1970-ies of the...
Why our galaxy has a spiral shape?
milky Way Galaxy has a regular spiral shape. As is known, the visible universe has about 100 billion galaxies. Trying to classify such a huge number of objects, the famous Edwin Hubble, after whom later was named space telescope, ...
NASA scientists have found the perfect place for landing on Mars
it's possible that we now know in what point of Mars is to send astronauts for quite some time wants to reach the red Planet's surface. But in order to do this one desire is not enough. Besides the obvious things like the availab...
For that, scientists sent the marijuana to the ISS?
In March 2020 the ISS will take the first batch of cannabis for scientific experiments. Known in the West, a N Agricultural Technology company recently announced that it intends to send the marijuana to the International space sta...
The discovery of "impossible" the black hole was a mistake
the picture of a giant black hole in a binary system LB1, which accretional gas from the companion star. November 27, a group of scientists from the National astronomical Observatory of China (NAOK) reported the discovery of a bin...
That can mean colored stripes on the potentially habitable moon of Saturn?
the Surface of Enceladus on Board the probe “Cassini” — Saturn's icy moon, which is of great interest to scientists because of its subsurface ocean with potential life. A new study led by a scientist Doug Carnegie from the ...
How much of water on Mars and whether it will suffice for future colonists?
Mars and its most appropriate area to build the first human colony beyond Earth For many centuries, man wanted to conquer the Red planet, and, it seems, in the very near future we will finally be able to make your first step to be...
Scientists will travel to another planet. It will last 1000 years
— our only home, but it will not last forever an Outstanding astronomer called our only home the pale blue dot and talked about the necessity of careful attitude toward it. The world is facing a lot more threats than in the...
The space debris problem can be solved in the near future
So the machine should look like ClearSpace-1 in orbit of our planet environmental Pollution is one of the most acute problems of our time. We invariably leave behind a mess wherever. Unfortunately, this applies not only to the sur...
In the center of a huge galaxy discovered the biggest black hole
it looks like the supercluster of galaxies Abell 85 what do you think, how big can be a black hole? Recently astronomers have discovered the largest known to date — it is in the center of the supermassive galaxies Abell 85 a...
The sun is the greatest mystery of our solar system
Probe Parker basks in the sun As once said by the famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, we live on an unremarkable planet orbiting an unremarkable star. However, we have a chance to know the Universe. This busy NASA engine...
Scientists are ready to find signs of life on Proxima-b and in the system of Trappist
the System Trappist in the representation of the artist When in 2016, scientists discovered a system of three planets in the constellation of Aquarius, in the scientific world there was a real furor, because all open objects its s...
Found the first planet orbiting a white dwarf
white dwarfs may be entire planets Scientists have long speculated about the possibility of the existence of planets near — superdense stellar bodies, which is essentially dead objects. Due to the fact that in the vicinity o...
NASA has found new evidence that our Sun is no ordinary star
Our may be even weirder than it seems About two years ago, NASA launched towards the Sun space probe Parker, who finally reached the closest to our star distance and gave the first results of his observations of the sun. It turned...
The European space Agency started developing the technology of sleep for mission to Mars
— this is real! Not long ago, representatives of the European space Agency (European Space Agency) began work on two projects intended for long-term space travel. These projects will be implemented in the framework of the E...
Comments (0)
This article has no comment, be the first!