Scientists have introduced a groundbreaking method using AI to detect extraterrestrial life, diverging from traditional marker-based approaches. The new system shows 90% accuracy in identifying biological samples, offering promising implications for space exploration.
Scientists have introduced a novel approach to detecting extraterrestrial life by employing artificial intelligence (AI). This new method utilizes machine learning to ascertain with 90% accuracy whether a sample is biological or non-biological, even if it is hundreds of millions of years old. This approach diverges from traditional techniques that focus on identifying specific markers, instead examining differences between samples.
The AI system has been tested on various types of material, including living cells, ancient and degraded samples, meteorites, and lab-created mixtures, such as grains of rice and human hair. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, pave the way for the deployment of smart sensors on robotic spacecraft, landers, and rovers to search for signs of life on other planets.
Professor Robert Hazen of the Carnegie Institution’s Geophysical Laboratory and George Mason University, the study’s lead researcher, emphasized the potential of this technology in exploring new biospheres and determining whether life on Earth and other planets share a common origin.
Before using this advanced technology in space, scientists aim to test it on Earth by examining ancient rock samples and those already collected on Mars by missions like the Mars Curiosity Rover. This endeavor could significantly enhance our understanding of both extraterrestrial life and the origins of life on Earth.
