Courtesy of University College London, eurekalert.org & ECN Mag.

A powerful new model to detect life on planets outside of our solar system, more accurately than ever before, has been developed by UCL (University College London) researchers.

The new model focuses on methane, the simplest organic molecule, widely acknowledged to be a sign of potential life.

Researchers from UCL and the University of New South Wales have developed a new spectrum for 'hot' methane which can be used to detect the molecule at temperatures above that of Earth, up to 1,500K/1220°C – something which was not possible before.

To find out what remote planets orbiting other stars are made of, astronomers analyse the way in which their atmospheres absorb starlight of different colours and compare it to a model, or 'spectrum', to identify different molecules.

Professor Jonathan Tennyson, (UCL Department of Physics and Astronomy) co-author of the study said: "Current models of methane are incomplete, leading to a severe underestimation of methane levels on planets. We anticipate our new model will have a big impact on the future study of planets and 'cool' stars external to our solar system, potentially helping scientists identify signs of extraterrestrial life."

The study, published today in PNAS, describes how the researchers used some of the UK's most advanced supercomputers, provided by the Distributed Research utilising Advanced Computing (DiRAC) project and run by the University of Cambridge, to calculate nearly 10 billion spectroscopic lines, each with a distinct colour at which methane can absorb light. The new list of lines is 2000 times bigger than any previous study, which means it can give more accurate information across a broader range of temperatures than was previously possible.

Lead author of the study, Dr Sergei Yurchenko, (UCL Department of Physics and Astronomy) added: "The comprehensive spectrum we have created has only been possible with the astonishing power of modern supercomputers which are needed for the billions of lines required for the modelling. We limited the temperature threshold to 1,500K to fit the capacity available, so more research could be done to expand the model to higher temperatures still. Our calculations required about 3 million CPU (central processing unit) hours alone; processing power only accessible to us through the DiRAC project.

"We are thrilled to have used this technology to significantly advance beyond previous models available for researchers studying potential life on astronomical objects, and we are eager to see what our new spectrum helps them discover." he added.

The new model has been tested and verified by successfully reproducing in detail the way in which the methane in failed stars, called brown dwarfs, absorbs light.

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Delta-V

Though I am out of my field here:

Methane exists on planets there where is no life at all. We cannot say that the methane pools and clouds on Titan suggest life at all.
Methane has been detected as part of gas clouds drifting in space.

Of course methane alone would not prove the existence of life. But still, it would be a hint.

If we, for example, would find the combination of ozone and methane in the atmosphere of a planet, this would be strong evidence pointing to live. Such a mixture would not be stable in the long term. So some process must feed the atmosphere with free oxygen (which is subsequently converted to ozone by UV radiation) and methane, keeping it out of the chemical equilibrium.

Live could be the process. But of course, if such a discovery would be made, the scientific debate would start wether an abiotic process could be the source.

Titan is one of the coldest planets minus 340 degrees so methane is liquid. Biology hasnt been found at these temperatures. It would be fun to land on titan and bring back some liquid from its lakes.

Titan is one of the coldest planets minus 340 degrees so methane is liquid. Biology hasnt been found at these temperatures. It would be fun to land on titan and bring back some liquid from its lakes.

Titan is deceptively Earth-like. It has a thick, nitrogen atmosphere. Seasonal rainstorms produce wet patches that are visible from orbit. It has lakes. In fact, Titan is the only place in the solar system, besides Earth, with stable liquids on its surface. Those liquids flow through rivers and streams, pool into lakes and seas, sculpt shorelines and surround islands, just like on Earth.
But Titan’s puddles aren’t filled with water—the moon is soaked in hydrocarbons. Methane and ethane, compounds that are gassy on Earth, are liquid on Titan’s frigid surface. Here, temperatures hover around -179 Celsius (or -290 Fahrenheit). It’s so cold that water ice is rock-hard—in fact, the rocks littering the moon’s surface are made from water. Water is everywhere on Titan, but it’s locked in a state that’s inaccessible for life-sustaining chemistries.

Ask an astrobiologist about the prospect of finding life on Titan, and they’ll say it is the place to go if you’re looking for bizarre life. Life that’s not at all like what we know on Earth. Life that, instead of being water-based, uses slick, liquid hydrocarbons as a solvent. Life that, if we find it, would demonstrate a second genesis—a second origin—and be suggestive of the ease with which life can populate the cosmos.

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rOZZ
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Very nice description :)

So I watched some programming tonight that included experiments with quantum entanglement, ie teleportation of data instantaneously, even over large distances. But, I assume to get two particles entangled they have to start out in close proximity, then one particle can be transported to a remote location without losing it's entanglement. Then when the first quantum particle changes state it's partner does the same instantaneously (no speed of light barrier. So, it seems to me that if a network of quantum entangled particles are located, say around the solar system, a means of communication can be developed allowing instant transmission. So we may be closer to "subspace communication" than we are to FTL human transportation.

But some questions weren't answered. Can two entangled particles remain that way indefinitely no matter how far apart they are? And how much energy must be expended to keep them that way. And is there an upper limit on how many particles can be entangled at one location limiting how much data can be transmitted?

And finally is this a way that ET could be trying to communicate with us across the vast distances of the galaxy. Maybe they left a quantum receiver here on earth millions of years ago and we just have to find it and start listening.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.