Alien Farts Might Be Key To Discovering Life On Other Planets
Farts might be the best way to find alien life on other planets according to a new theory by a group of scientists.
The team tells the European Planetary Science Congress that “gas byproducts” are likely the first clues to existence around distance stars.
The group wants to sniff out methane gases and nitrous oxide to find life on other planets. If the group can find a sufficient quantity of chemicals in planetary atmospheres they believe alien life may exist on those planets.
Lee Grenfell of the DLR Institute of Planetary Research in Berlin proclaims:
“For the first time we are reaching a point where serious scientific debate can be applied to address the age-old question: are we alone?” Lee Grenfell of the DLR Institute of Planetary Research in Berlin said.
Chemicals in an atmosphere distort light passing through it in predictable patterns. The group argues that these “fingerprints” can then be extracted from the spectrum of light reflected by the planet towards Earth.
Right now our current generation of telescopes is not capable of finding those chemicals and sending back the distinct “biomarkers” of a planet’s atmosphere. However, new next-generation telescopes are already being developed and they will likely provide the new technology needed to make the groups fart-filled dreams a reality.
According to the report the European Extremely Large Telescope is likely to be the first telescope that can aid in planetary flatulence research.
Researchers will focus on red-dwarf stars which are smaller and fainter than our Sun. The group believes biomarkers will be easier to detect from planets that orbit stars.
Do you think fart detection is the best way to discover alien life?
