Analyzing any type of molecule in search of traces of alien life: the Artificial Intelligence algorithm developed by the research group coordinated by Robert Hazen of the Carnegie Institute in the United States manages to do so with an accuracy of 90%. The new method described in the journal of the United States Academy of Sciences, PNAS, will be able to help astrobiologists in the search for alien life, past and possibly present, on Mars.
“One of the challenges of astrobiology is to determine the origin of the organic compounds that may exist, for example, in a meteorite or on samples from Mars”, said astrobiologist Daniela Billi, of the University of Rome Tor Vergata. We need to “understand – she added – whether what we have before us is the product of a past biological activity, or whether it is the result of an abiotic chemical reaction, i.e. one which occurred in other ways”. Help to do this now comes from AI, thanks to the new algorithm trained with various types of samples, including living cells, organic materials within rocks, carbon-rich meteorites and compounds produced in the laboratory. On these samples the algorithm identified new patterns, to determine whether or not those compounds are produced by life forms.
“A method that can contribute to research, but – Billi specified – the real difficulty today is understanding how those same molecules degrade”. Any Martian life forms, for example, could have left traces, but billions of years of exposure to radiation or other compounds in the soil or atmosphere could have transformed the original molecules. So recognizing its biological origin is anything but easy. It is also necessary to reconstruct what that molecule looked like billions of years ago, starting from the analysis of the current molecule. “It is precisely for this reason – added Billi – that many tests are carried out today, for example by placing biological samples outside the International Space Station, to understand the effects of radiation”. But the new AI, say the creators themselves, can also be used to analyze terrestrial fossils and reconstruct some characteristics of the first terrestrial life forms that were previously impossible to analyze with traditional methods.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA
Source: Ansa
I am a journalist with over 6 years of experience working in the news industry. I currently work as an author for Global Happenings, and my coverage focuses on Technology news. I have written for various publications, including Reuters, The New York Times and The Guardian.
