biosignature
Biological presence indicator
A biosignature is any substance, pattern, or phenomenon that indicates the presence of life, past or present.
The term appears most often in astrobiology, where scientists search for biosignatures on Mars or in the atmospheres of distant planets: The rover detected possible biosignatures in the rock samples.
Biosignatures might include specific gases, organic molecules, or isotope ratios that living processes typically produce.
Organisms surviving extreme conditions
- habitable zoneRegion allowing liquid water
- metabolismCellular nutrient conversion
- photosynthesisLight-to-sugar conversion in plants
- chiralityMirror-image non-superimposability
organic compounds · amino acids · lipids · nucleic acids · proteins · hydrocarbons · oxygen · methane
Region allowing liquid water
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
- KeplerPlanetary motion law formulator
- Proxima CentauriNearest stellar neighbor
- oxygenElement eight, colorless gas
ozone · methane · water vapor · spectral analysis · red dwarf · disequilibrium · extraterrestrial life · astrobiology
Layered sedimentary bacterial structures
- microfossilsMinute preserved organism remains
- biomarkersMeasurable disease indicators
- amberHardened ancient tree secretion
- petrificationBecoming rock-like
trace fossils · carbon isotopes · paleontology · Precambrian · morphology
Study of light-matter interaction
- mass spectrometryMeasures ionic weight ratios
- remote sensingGathering data without contact
- chemical fingerprintUnique molecular identification pattern
- James Webb Space TelescopeInfrared space observatory
extremophiles
Organisms surviving extreme conditions
- habitable zoneRegion allowing liquid water
- metabolismCellular nutrient conversion
- photosynthesisLight-to-sugar conversion in plants
chirality · organic compounds · amino acids · lipids · nucleic acids · proteins · hydrocarbons · oxygen · methane · carbon cycle
habitable zone
Region allowing liquid water
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
- KeplerPlanetary motion law formulator
- Proxima CentauriNearest stellar neighbor
oxygen · ozone · methane · water vapor · spectral analysis · red dwarf · disequilibrium · extraterrestrial life · astrobiology · Europa
stromatolites
Layered sedimentary bacterial structures
- microfossilsMinute preserved organism remains
- biomarkersMeasurable disease indicators
- amberHardened ancient tree secretion
petrification · trace fossils · carbon isotopes · paleontology · Precambrian · morphology
spectroscopy
Study of light-matter interaction
- mass spectrometryMeasures ionic weight ratios
- remote sensingGathering data without contact
- chemical fingerprintUnique molecular identification pattern
James Webb Space Telescope · biosensor · chromatography · fluorescence · spectrometer
biosignaturesterile environment
Space without living microorganisms