The search for extraterrestrial life could be greatly facilitated by a new tool that distinguishes living matter from nonliving matter based on light reflection, citing a study recently published by the science portal Phys.org and Science Alert.
The trait that leads to clues is chirality
The left hand and the right hand are almost perfect reflections of each other, but no matter how they rotate, they can in no way overlap; Therefore, we cannot, for example, pull the glove that fits the left hand on our right hand.
Science calls this quality chirality.
Chirality is also a feature of the most important molecules that make up living things, but there is an important difference: while amino acids, for example, occur only in the “left” version, the sugars that make up RNA and DNA are only found in nature In the form of “right hand”.
This is called sandy agility, and its cause is currently unknown in science.
On the other hand, it is a sign of life, on the basis of which we can even determine what life forms occur on distant planets.
An international research team has now been able to verify the functionality of this method. Researchers at the University of Bern and the NCCR PlanetS program observed a sandy symmetry characteristic of terrestrial organisms from a helicopter traveling at more than 70 kilometers per hour at an altitude of more than 70 kilometers per hour as part of the Mermoz project. consequences Astronomy and astrophysics Published in the magazine.
The biggest improvement is that these measurements were made on a moving and vibrating platform, and even in this way we were able to identify chemical signs that indicate life in seconds.” The authors of the study emphasized the importance of the research.
A tool that recognizes living matter
When light is reflected from a biological material, some electromagnetic waves travel clockwise or counterclockwise. This phenomenon, called circular polarization, can be traced back to the sandy mating of living matter.” Lucas Bate, a researcher at the University of Bern and NCCR PlanetS explains. He added that we would see something completely different if light bounced off a non-living, non-biological matter.
However, measuring circular polarization is a rather complicated task; The signal is very weak and the reflected light is only less than one percent. Previously, researchers developed a special device called a spectrometer, which uses its own lenses to separate circularly polarized waves from the rest of the light.
However, to date, the instrument has not been developed enough to take more serious measurements with it. Four years ago, we could only detect signs of life from a very close distance of only 20 cm, and even then we had to keep an eye on the same place for long minutes.” – Refers to the previous difficulties of Lucas Bate, who said that improvements have finally been made that allow for faster and more accurate observations, even from vast distances.
Even on distant planets, we can easily find traces of life
The new solar spectrometer tested during the research is called FlyPol, and even from a fast-moving helicopter, it can distinguish grassy meadows, lush forests and large smoky cities in just a few seconds.
Circularly polarized waves bounced off living things, while other types of signals bounced off inanimate objects (such as the road). With current settings, researchers can detect algae that live in lakes.
The researchers then want to take their evolution aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to take measurements similar to the current ones.
If the test is successful, signs of life forms can easily be detected on objects in the solar system, or even on distant planets.
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