Research
Scientists simulate an Earth without life to help hunt for aliens and inhabited worlds
Space.com · By Keith Cooper ·
The Brief
- Researchers built a computer simulation of an Earth-like rocky planet without life.
- The simulation models how a planet's atmosphere would look without biological influence.
- The goal is to provide a baseline for identifying signs of life in atmospheres of distant planets.
Why it matters
Comparing observed exoplanet atmospheres with a lifeless baseline helps astronomers judge which atmospheric signals may point to biology.
- #astrobiology
- #exoplanets
- #atmospheres
- #simulation
- #biosignatures
A new computer simulation that depicts Earth, or a rocky planet in general, without life is the latest tool in the quest to discover whether or not we are alone in the universe. Life leaves its mark on a planet, particularly its atmosphere, in the form of a mixture of…
Timeline
Space.com reports on the lifeless Earth simulation
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Scientists simulate an Earth without life to help hunt for aliens and inhabited worlds