An Earth-like planet orbiting another star may look extremely different, potentially covered by bacteria that utilize invisible infrared radiation to power photosynthesis.Many such germs on Earth consist of purple pigments, and purple worlds on which they are dominant would produce an unique “light finger print” detectable by next-generation ground- and space-based telescopes, Cornell University researchers report in new research study. “Purple germs can endure and grow under such a range of conditions that it is simple to picture that on lots of various worlds, purple may just be the new green.”Reference: “Purple is the new green: biopigments and spectra of Earth-like purple worlds” by Lígia Fonseca Coelho, Lisa Kaltenegger, Stephen Zinder, William Philpot, Taylor L Price and Trinity L Hamilton, 16 April 2024, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.DOI: 10.1093/ mnras/stae601The research was supported by a Fulbright Schuman grant, the Brinson Foundation, and the National Science Foundation.
An Earth-like world orbiting another star might look really various, potentially covered by bacteria that utilize undetectable infrared radiation to power photosynthesis.Many such germs on Earth consist of purple pigments, and purple worlds on which they are dominant would produce a distinct “light fingerprint” noticeable by next-generation ground- and space-based telescopes, Cornell University researchers report in new research. “Purple bacteria can endure and thrive under such a variety of conditions that it is simple to envision that on many various worlds, purple may simply be the brand-new green.”Reference: “Purple is the new green: biopigments and spectra of Earth-like purple worlds” by Lígia Fonseca Coelho, Lisa Kaltenegger, Stephen Zinder, William Philpot, Taylor L Price and Trinity L Hamilton, 16 April 2024, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.DOI: 10.1093/ mnras/stae601The research was supported by a Fulbright Schuman grant, the Brinson Foundation, and the National Science Foundation.