Earth is spewing "bio-signatures" into space, hinting that other life-bearing worlds are doing the same

A scientific team has found an unusual form of oxygen produced by plants and bacteria up to 200 km above the Earth's surface.

The new study revealed that forms of oxygen created by living organisms can be found in space around our planet, hinting at a possible new way to track life on other habitable planets in our galaxy, the Milky Way.

The new discovery was made by NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy "SOFIA" (SOFIA), a Boeing 747SP that serves as a cosmic observatory to measure infrared radiation coming from the depths of the universe.

A recently published study describes how researchers used the telescope, which is sensitive to infrared wavelengths carrying warmth, to detect so-called heavy atomic oxygen in the upper layers of Earth's atmosphere, the mesosphere and thermosphere.

Heavy oxygen is a form of oxygen that contains 10 neutrons in its nucleus, compared to the eight neutrons found in the most abundant form of oxygen found in the air around our planet.

High concentrations of heavy oxygen can be found near the Earth's surface, as this atomic sample is normally produced by photosynthetic organisms, just like normal oxygen.

"It follows biological activity, and this is well established," Helmut Wiesemeier, a scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany and lead author of the new study, said in a statement. "So far, the height to which this signature extends is thought to be 60 kilometers (about 37 miles)." ), therefore, it hardly reaches the lower part of the mesosphere.

However, according to the new study, SOPHIA was able to detect heavy oxygen up to 200 km (120 miles) above our planet in concentrations that indicate terrestrial origins.

Heavy oxygen could also come from the solar wind, a stream of particles continually emitted from the sun's atmosphere. However, solar heavy oxygen concentrations are believed to be much lower.

"The question was, does it reach higher altitudes? And if it does, because there are no living organisms there, the only way to reach higher altitudes is through the efficient vertical mixing of air in the Earth's atmosphere," Wiesmeier explained.

Vertical mixing is an upward movement of air that occurs based on the movement of air masses in the planet's boundary layer.

The findings may have potential implications for the development of new techniques for detecting signs of life around exoplanets, and planets orbiting stars other than our sun.

"The idea is to first understand what is happening on your front doorstep before delving into deeper studies elsewhere," Wiesemeier said.

The study has been published in the journal Physical Review Research.   Source: Myspace