Scientists develop new way to detect life on other planets

December 30, 2014

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Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Current methods for detecting life in a foreign environment rely on chemistry, but what if the life forms were looking for like those that might be on other planets dont conform to our current notions of biological chemistry?

Now, scientists at the cole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have developed a way for the detection of life without the use of chemistry by using a tiny microscopic cantilever.

Typically seen in bridges and free-standing radio towers, a cantilever is defined as a long beam that is anchored on one end and load-bearing at the other end. When created on a microscopic scale, a cantilever can be used to sense hundreds of bacteria placed on it.

According to a new report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the EPFL researchers have adapted an existing microscope cantilever system to detect the motion of tiny unseen organisms.

The new device was developed from the atomic force microscope, which is capable of imaging singular atoms. An atomic force microscope works by scanning a surface like a record players needle scans a vinyl disc for sonic information. The up-and-down motion of the atomic force microscopes cantilever is then read by a laser to create an image.

The EPFL device works in much the same way, but it picks up motions of things placed directly on the cantilever. For example, if a living bacterium becomes attached to the cantilever its natural motions will be captured and a life form is then detected by the device.

According to the EPFL researchers report, they were able to evaluate their innovative system with isolated bacteria, yeast, and human cells. They also tested dirt from the areas around the EPFL campus and water out of the nearby Sorge River. In each scenario, they had the ability to accurately recognize and segregate the vibrations from living cells. When the team used antiseptic drugs on their soil or water samples, the motion signals ceased.

Originally posted here:
Scientists develop new way to detect life on other planets