Are we alone in the universe?

Does life exist on exoplanets? And if so, what evidence can we rely on to find it? Identifying and understanding the ingredients necessary to support life is one of NASA's major science goals. On Earth, for example, living things leave chemical clues, or "biosignatures," in the atmosphere. Oxygen produced through photosynthesis is a primary biosignature of modern Earth. But different planets likely have different biosignatures, possibly ones that on Earth would not reflect biological systems. SEEC researchers are working to understand how to distinguish non-biological signatures from true signs of life in exoplanetary atmospheres. With a diversity of expertise and cutting-edge modeling tools, SEEC scientists are pioneering methods for detecting life on other worlds by examining how potential biosignatures are affected by a planet's atmospheric, oceanic, climatic, stellar, geological, and biological systems.

Related Themes: Astrobiology, Habitability, and Biosignatures; Exoplanet Observations and Missions