Wouldn't discovering life on other worlds be made easier if we knew the exact locations to search? However, opportunities to collect samples or access remote sensing instruments are limited. A recent study, published in Nature Astronomy and led by SETI Institute Senior Research Scientist Kim Warren-
A recent study led by SETI Institute Senior Research Scientist Kim Warren-Rhodes and published in Nature Astronomy brings us closer to discovering extraterrestrial life by mapping scarce life forms in extreme environments. The interdisciplinary research focuses on life hidden within salt domes, rocks, and crystals at Salar de Pajonales, situated at the border of the Chilean Atacama Desert and Altiplano.
Biosignature probability maps from CNN models and statistical ecology data. The colors in a) indicate the probability of biosignature detection. In b) a visible image of a gypsum dome geologic feature with biosignature probability maps for various microhabitats within it. Credit: M. Phillips, F. Kalaitzis, K. Warren- Rhodes.to discover and predict the patterns and rules by which nature survives and distributes itself in the harshest landscapes on Earth,” said Rhodes.
analog. Pajonales is a high altitude , high U/V, hyperarid, dry salt lakebed, considered inhospitable to many life forms but still habitable. Next, the team trained convolutional neural networks to recognize and predict macro-scale geologic features at Pajonales—some of which, like patterned ground or polygonal networks, are also found on Mars—and micro-scale substrates most likely to contain biosignatures.
The team’s next research objective at Pajonales is to test the CNNs ability to predict the location and distribution of ancient stromatolite fossils and halite microbiomes with the same machine learning programs to learn whether similar rules and models apply to other similar yet slightly different natural systems. From there, entirely new ecosystems, such as hot springs, permafrost soils, and rocks in the Dry Valleys, will be explored and mapped.
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