This smart trick can help us notice the life of Mars

Rovers sent to Mars have not been able to find life so far, probably because it does not exist on the Red Planet. But we cannot say for sure, so demand must continue, using the constantly developing techniques-this idea outside the box of a team of scientists.

As described in a a exploration Published today in Boundaries in astronomy and cosmic sciencesAstrobiologists from Germany and Portugal have shown that three species of germs are attracted to and will move to an amino acid called L-Serina. A process known as hemotaxis – the movement of the body in response to a chemical – can be the basis for a simple new approach in our demand for a small extraterrestrial life in places like Mars.

“Given that early land and Mars were bombarded by carbon asteroids, L-Serin probably exists on Mars,” the researchers said. Previous studies It has already shown that L-Serin refers to hemotaxis in some forms of life. “If life develops on Mars with a similar biochemistry of the known life on Earth, it seems plausible that L-Serin can also be a powerful hemoattrotant for hypothetical Martyan germs.”

Due to Extremely difficult conditions On the Martian surface, researchers used “hypothetical Martian germs”, known for their survivors of harsh conditions – organisms often call extremophils. Their stands included bacteria Bacillus Subtilis and Pseudoalteromonas Haloplanktisas well as the archaees Haloferax volcaniesS

“Bacteria and archaeas are two of the oldest forms of life on Earth, but they move in different ways and develop systems of mobility independently of one another,” Max Rickeles, Aerospace Engineer at the Technical University of Berlin and co-author of the study, said in a Limits statementS Mobility is the ability of a small body to move independently. “By testing both groups, we can make the methods of discovering life more reliable for space missions.”

To give their approach the highest chances of success in future space missions, another important aspect of the study was simplicity. Their equipment included a slide (flat piece of glass), divided into two cameras with a thin membrane. They put the germs in one camera, L-series in the other and waited.

“If the germs are alive and can move, they swim to the L-Serina through the membrane,” Rickeles explained. Fortunately, this is what happens, which suggests that future astronauts can use this method to identify the presence of such microorganisms in alien samples. According to the study, this is usually difficult to achieve even with advanced microscopic techniques.

“This method is easy, affordable and does not require powerful computers to analyze the results,” he added.

Although the real life applications of this method for future space missions will need to use an automatic system with less and stronger equipment, the study still emphasizes the potential of a more cheaper and simple way to seek an extraterrestrial life based on inducing on microbial motion. The point is that cheap and simple are not two words that we usually hear about our search for alien civilizations.