A search for extraterrestrial life is one of the most intriguing and challenging questions in modern science and for all of humanity.
In June 2023, the astronomical community was surprised by the news that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) had failed detect a dense atmosphere around the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 C, one of the most promising celestial bodies in the search for life alien.
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This discovery, added to other similar results on neighboring planets, raises the question: what is needed to find evidence of life outside Earth? Earth?
The tireless search for answers leads astronomers to focus their attention on exoplanets that are orbiting distant stars.
These mysterious worlds are usually identified only by the wobble of their host stars, as telescopes cannot observe them directly.
Instead, scientists monitor the starlight that passes through these planets' atmospheres during a transit, revealing clues about their chemical composition.
(Image: Shutterstock/Reproduction)
However, the true chemical signature of life is still an enigma. One of the challenges is that gases such as oxygen, on Earth produced by photosynthesis and indicative of life, can appear on exoplanets in other ways, not necessarily linked to the existence of beings alive.
In this context, some researchers are taking an innovative approach: instead of focusing on habitability, they are studying planets clearly devoid of life.
Laura Kreidberg, researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, argues that there are many basic concepts about planets that we need to understand before we can just identify habitability.
The search for extraterrestrial life is a complex and gradual journey, a constant accumulation of evidence.
As new data emerges and technology advances, scientists have the opportunity to refine their hypotheses and reevaluate perspectives on rocky planets in our cosmic neighborhood.
Ultimately, the question of whether we are alone in Universe is one of humanity's deepest and most challenging, and science continues to shed light on this cosmic mystery.
The answers may still be far away, but the desire to explore the unknown is what drives scientists to continue their tireless search for life beyond planet Earth.