Space Dust Should Be Studied for ‘Potential Signs of Life’, Japanese Astronomer Says

Space dust could be our way to explore extraterrestrial life. Japanese astronomer Tomonori Totani proposed that the grains released from other worlds be examined for "potential signs of life."

Space Dust Could Hold Signs of Potential Extraterrestrial Life

When an asteroid collides with a planet or when any collision occurs, the material is blasted into the atmosphere. For years, this substance can keep moving through space. Additionally, it might contain hints about any extraterrestrial life that may be out there.

According to Totani, a professor at the University of Tokyo, one day, people may utilize this knowledge to identify different types of life. Totani said the search for life outside of our solar system normally entails searching for traces of communication, which would suggest intelligent life but rule out any pre-technological species, Newsweek reported.

Alternatively, scientists may be looking for atmospheric traces of life, while there is always the possibility of an explanation without any direct evidence. Yet not only could they be confident, but they might also get the answer quickly if there are indications of life in dust particles, Totani added.

This does not imply that scientists can utilize all of these components. Sometimes the grains are too large, so they stay on the planet from where they originated. Other times, the fragments won't be big enough to store any data.

Researchers would need to look for materials with the right size and shape. Totani claimed that items of a size of roughly one millimeter would function.

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Some of these particles might already be here on Earth, and locating or understanding where they originated would be difficult.

Totani also acknowledged that there are significant doubts surrounding this claim. The preservation of the life hints by the time they reached Earth is a crucial issue to consider.

According to the article, after being blasted from their original planets, they could sustain damage while traveling to Earth.

The paper is published in the International Journal of Astrobiology.

Moondust to Mitigate Climate Change on Earth

In related news, researchers from the University of Utah (UU) and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, suggested using moondust to shield the planet from the sun and combat climate change.

Dust is believed to be effective in scattering starlight. A small amount of dust by mass could deflect more light than a full-grown planet. Researchers are exploring how much dust they need to reduce the sunlight our planet receives.

They are considering the dust from mines on Earth, lunar dust, and those from near-Earth asteroids. They already have numerous solar shield designs in mind, including vast swarms of small, steerable satellites, redirected asteroids, and the placement of dust clouds in certain orbital locations.

However, one novel approach they found to be the most promising involved propelling lunar dust toward L1 using a jet dubbed "moonjet."