Now, scientists have trained a computer program to distinguish chemical mixtures made by living organisms from those created in more prosaic processes, such as reactions between sunlight and rocks.
In preliminary tests, the program was 90% accurate at differentiating between samples taken from living organisms, such as shells, teeth and bones, and non-biological samples, such as laboratory chemicals and those found in carbon-rich meteorites.
These chemical "biosignatures" may be the best hope scientists have of finding past or present life.
This story is from the September 26, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the September 26, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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