Existing instrument could be used to detect life signals by a fraction of the cost of developing new missions and instruments.
A doctoral student and his advisor developed a simple way to test the existence of active life on Mars and in other planetsusing existing equipment on Rover Curiosity and planned for future use at Rover Rosalind Franklin.
There is a huge interest in the possibility of past or present life beyond the earth, with space agencies to devote a lot of time and money on the exploration of adequate extraterrestrial habitats and seeking signs of life.
PhD student Solomon Hirsch and his advisor, Professor Mark Sephton, from the Earth Sciences Department and Engineering of the Imperial College of London, realized that a Existing instrument could be used to detect life signals by a fraction of the cost of developing new missions and instruments.
The instrument, called Gaseous-specimeter chromatographer (CG-EM), has been installed in Martian probes since the mid-1970s, with the first versions in Viking 1 and Viking 2 modules. Solomon and Mark determined that it could be used to detect a chemical connection to the cell membrane molecules that are found in many lively and dead organisms.
A was published in the journal Nature Space Exploration. “Spatial agencies, such as NASA and ESA, do not know that their instruments can do this“Professor Sephton said.“ Here we develop an elegant method that quickly and reliablely identifies a chemical connection that reveals the viable presence of life, ”he says.“ Rover Curiosity has just turned 13 on Mars, but who says you can’t teach new tricks to an old dog? ”
The new method detects a unique sequence of atoms that connect the constituent molecules of the outer membranes of living bacteria and eukaryotic cells. These constitute the vast majority of biological matter on Earth and include the kind of life forms that scientists also expect to find beyond our planet.
The signatures of these bonds found in molecules called intact polar lipids (LPIs) appear as a clear peak in a graph produced by the CG-EM instrument.
Solomon: “When we put the intact polar compounds in our GC-in we did not know what to expect because these compounds are usually analyzed using other techniques. The characteristic signature we identified provides a clear indicator of viable lifeusing equipment ready to use in space, already used in many extraterrestrial missions. If we find signs of life there, the first question to put: is it living now? It’s exciting to think that the technique we develop here can be used to help answer this question. ”
As soon as an organism dies, its LPI connections disintegrate In a few hours, after which they can no longer be detected and the peak in reading the instrument ceases to appear.
The method is not only useful for detecting life in other places in the solar system, but also To protect life here on Earth. Groups of scientists around the world are planning to spend multiple million dollars to detect active signs of life on samples brought from Mars. Your task will be facilitated with a Quick and simple method of life screening.
Professor Sephton says: “Our active life detection method can be used on Mars and in the jacked moons of the outer solar system, from which data can be sent to Earth for interpretation, or in samples sent to the land of potential alien biosphers.”
Solomon says: “Our expectation of finding living things on the Martian surface is low due to the hostile conditions of temperature and radiation. However, we do not exclude this possibility – life finds astonishing ways to survive under extreme circumstances. In addition, future missions, such as the Exomars Mission, plan to pierce meters deep on the planet’s surface, where the likelihood of finding active life is significantly greater. ”
