It became clear why scientists call the wrong planets suitable for life

In an article published in AGU Advances, the authors explain that modern telescope technology can

end up giving false positives whenresearchers are trying to find signs of life on other worlds. They say that while we can detect the presence of oxygen in a planet's atmosphere with increasing reliability, it is not enough to declare a planet habitable. 

In the coming decades, possibly by the end of the 2030syears, astronomers hope to obtain a telescope capable of capturing the spectra of potentially Earth-like planets around stars like the Sun. The idea is to target planets similar enough to Earth for life to emerge and characterize their atmospheres.

Such telescopes will allow scientists to provethe existence of life beyond Earth by searching for biosignatures. Essentially, biosignatures are any manifestation of the consequences of life activity that scientifically proves the existence of life in the past or present. They hint at the presence of life in addition to the fact that the planet may have oxygen available. 

The problem is that there were a lot of discussionsIs the detection of oxygen a sufficient “sign of life?” By varying the initial set of volatile elements in a model of the geochemical evolution of rocky planets, scientists came to an important conclusion: context is needed when detecting oxygen.

By varying the initial set of volatile elements inmodels of the geochemical evolution of rocky planets, the researchers obtained a wide range of results, including several scenarios in which a lifeless rocky planet around a star like the sun could evolve to have oxygen in its atmosphere. Credit: J. Chrissansen-Totton.

Of course, oxygen is necessary for existencelife on the planet, so its detection in the planet’s atmosphere will be a big step in the search for suitable  for living places. However, it is known that oxygen can exist on a planet without life. The fact is that the decomposition of water due to radiation can also cause its accumulation in the planet’s atmosphere. At the same time, geological events can lead to an abundance of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The problem is that keeping track of all these gases on the planet can confuse scientists. They will think there is life there, even though the potentially habitable planet is actually nothing more than a damp, lifeless piece of rock. As a result, scientists call the wrong planets suitable for life.

Read more

The first accurate map of the world was created. What's wrong with everyone else?

Uranus has received the status of the strangest planet in the solar system. Why?

NASA told how they will deliver samples of Mars to Earth