A New Test for Life on Other Planets

On an otherworldly landscape in Mono Lake, California, scientists have tested a new method for potentially detecting chemical signatures of life on another planet.

A simple chemistry method could vastly enhance how scientists search for signs of life on other planets.

The test uses a liquid-based technique known as capillary electrophoresis to separate a mixture of organic molecules into its components. It was designed specifically to analyze for amino acids, the structural building blocks of all life on Earth. The method is 10,000 times more sensitive than current methods employed by spacecraft like NASA's Mars Curiosity rover, according to a new study published in Analytical Chemistry.

​The study was carried out by researchers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. Click here for full article