If life can spread from one planet to another (known as panspermia), scientists on Earth may have a chance to discover extraterrestrial life, according to a new study.
Astronomers continue their quest to find life beyond our planet. While our solar system has several promising locations, the vast number of planets out there means that humanity is likely to find life on planets orbiting other stars.
Simulation of a meteorite passing through the Earth’s atmosphere. (Photo: JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY).
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has confirmed the existence of over 5,000 planets so far, and that number continues to grow, according to Live Science.
However, the search for extraterrestrial life faces a significant obstacle: astronomers do not know where to look. Humanity only knows one type of planet that definitively supports life—Earth. Thus, the search primarily focuses on planets that share some similarities with our own, despite the low probability of success.
In light of this situation, two astronomers, Harrison Smith (Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan) and Lana Sinapayen (Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Japan), have proposed a new approach: shifting focus from the possible forms of life to what life could potentially do.
They introduce a strategy based on the concept of panspermia, which suggests that life can originate on one planet and spread to others via meteorites.
One of the key characteristics of any life form is its ability to alter the natural balance of a planet.
While it is unclear what specific characteristics extraterrestrial life could change on a planet, if life has the capacity to spread from one planet to another, it may find ways to implement similar changes on every planet in its path.
In their recent report, researcher Smith and colleague Sinapayen proposed a statistical testing method. If humanity can gather enough characteristics of various planets, we could identify a cluster of nearby planets that share similar features.
This approach is expected to provide crucial clues reflecting something unusual occurring on these planets, potentially due to life spreading among neighboring stars.
