20150917 - extraterrestrial

How to Find 'Strange Life' on Alien Planets

by Nola Taylor Redd, Space.com Contributor   |   August 28, 2015 07:00am ET

Detecting signs of life very different from that of Earth in the atmospheres of alien planets may be difficult, but it is possible, researchers say.
A team of scientists examined models of "super-Earths" — exoplanets slightly larger than Earth — to determine how easily signs of life could be spotted. They determined that such biosignatures could be identified more easily on planets orbiting stars producing relatively low amounts of radiation — but even then only if everything worked out just right.
The team, led by Sara Seager of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), did not focus solely on Earth-like life. [10 Exoplanets That Could Host Alien Life] 

 http://www.space.com/30404-alien-life-search-super-earths.html
 http://www.openminds.tv/mit-scientist-encourages-a-broader-search-for-extraterrestrial-life-999/20611