2<\/sub>O. The gas then leaks into the atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\nOther causes of laughing gas in the atmosphere<\/h3>\n Other circumstances lead to the presence of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere. For instance, a small amount can be created by lightning, which the team accounted for in their models. However, lightning also creates nitrogen dioxide, which offers a clue that non-living weather or geological processes created the gas.<\/p>\n
Others who have considered nitrous oxide as a biosignature gas often conclude that it would be difficult to detect from so far away. The team explained that this conclusion is based on the gas\u2019 concentration in Earth\u2019s atmosphere. Because there is not a lot present in our atmosphere, which is teeming with life, some believe it would be hard to detect life in space using this method.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis conclusion doesn\u2019t account for periods in Earth\u2019s history where ocean conditions would have allowed for much greater biological release of N2<\/sub>O. Conditions in those periods might mirror where an exoplanet is today,\u201d Schwieterman said.<\/p>\nCommon stars, like K and M dwarfs, produce a light spectrum that is less effective at breaking up nitrous oxide than our Sun is. Combining these two effects could greatly increase the predicted amount of biosignature gas on an inhabited world.<\/p>\n
Due to their discoveries, the research team believe that scientists should consider alternative biosignature gases, such as N2<\/sub>O to detect life in space. Soon, the James Webb Telescope may be sending information about the atmospheres of rocky, Earth-like planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system.<\/p>\n\u201cWe wanted to put this idea forward to show it\u2019s not out of the question we\u2019d find this biosignature gas, if we look for it,\u201d Schwieterman concluded.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Scientists at UC Riverside have suggested that astrobiologists should consider the presence of laughing gas when searching for life in space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":25954,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[771],"tags":[818,809],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Presence of laughing gas may indicate life in space<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n