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An artificial intelligence system can detect signs of life with 90 percent accuracy
It represents a ‘significant advance’ in our ability to discover life beyond Earth
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For centuries, humanity has been captivated by the idea of life on other planets.
But how will we recognize it when we see it?
Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence system that can detect signs of life with 90 percent accuracy.
And they say it means a “significant advance” in our ability to discover life throughout the solar system and beyond.
Many of the components necessary for life, such as the amino acids and nucleotides needed to produce DNA, have been detected in space.
Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence system that can detect signs of life with 90 percent accuracy (file image)
This image taken by NASA’s Perseverance rover on August 6, 2021, shows the hole drilled into a Martian rock in preparation for the rover’s first attempt to collect a sample.
But it is difficult to determine if they are biotic, that is, a sign of life, or if they are abiotic, that is, they relate to non-living beings such as gases and chemicals.
Scientists at George Mason University in Virginia devised an artificial intelligence model that can predict whether a sample is biotic or abiotic with 90 percent accuracy.
They created it by analyzing 134 assorted samples of a variety of living cells, fossil fuels, meteorites and organic compounds.
The analysis involved separating the sample into its components and then detecting subtle differences between standards and molecular weights.
Lead researcher Dr Robert Hazen said: “This is a significant advance in our ability to recognize biochemical signs of life on other worlds.”
«It opens the way to the use of smart sensors on unmanned spacecraft to search for signs of life.
«These results mean that it is possible that we could find a form of life on another planet, in another biosphere, even if it is very different from the life we know on Earth.
“And, if we find signs of life in other places, we will be able to know if life on Earth and on other planets has a common or different origin.”
The team believes their model could be used to test samples already collected by the Mars Curiosity rover.
The team believes their model could be used to test samples already collected by the Mars Curiosity rover.
It could also help scientists reveal the history of Earth’s mysterious ancient rocks to determine when life began.
“This routine analytical method has the potential to revolutionize the search for extraterrestrial life and deepen our understanding of both the origin and chemistry of the oldest life on Earth,” said Dr. Hazen.
“It paves the way for the use of smart sensors on robotic spacecraft, landers and rovers to search for signs of life before samples return to Earth.”
The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.