New alien hunting tool with high sensitivity

US scientists develop methods to identify amino acids to detect life outside of Earth.

Scientists at the California Institute of Technology, USA, create a new molecular tool that can detect alien life signs, with higher sensitivity than previous tools used in many flying missions. space. The research results are published in the December 2016 ACS Analytical Chemistry journal, according to Knowridge.

Amino acid identification is an effective tool to find traces of life beyond Earth.(Photo: California Institute of Technology).

The team developed a method for specimen analysis based on Capillary Electropherosis (CE). It allows simultaneous identification of 17 amino acids with high sensitivity. Amino acids are an important component of all living things on Earth. The presence of amino acids can confirm the present or previous existence of life on the Moon, Mars and other celestial bodies.

Scientists successfully tested the method when analyzing samples taken from Lake Mono, California, USA. This is a saltwater lake, salt-containing environment similar to Mars and many moons in the solar system.

According to Irish News, the CE method will be used in near future space missions, to study Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa.

The hunt for aliens has attracted much attention from the scientific community and the people in recent years. Space telescope, self-propelled robot, are two of the important means to perform this work.