The new method could be used in future space missions.
For many years, scientists have been trying to search for traces of life beyond Earth using amino acids, fatty acids, and other organic compounds. However, the problem is that such substances can arise without the involvement of living organisms — for example, inside meteorites or as a result of chemical processes in space.
The authors of the new study proposed to focus not on the molecules themselves, but on the principles of their organization. To do this, they used a statistical method that had previously been applied in ecology to assess biodiversity.
As part of the research, specialists examined about one hundred datasets. The analysis included samples of microbes, soils, fossil remains, meteorites, asteroids, as well as synthetic compounds created in laboratory conditions.
The study showed that in living systems, amino acids are usually distributed more evenly and exhibit greater diversity than in non-living chemical environments. In the analysis of fatty acids, the researchers observed the opposite pattern.
Fabian Klenner, an associate professor in the Department of Planetology at the University of California, Riverside, noted that life forms not only specific molecules but also characteristic organizational structures that can be identified using statistical methods.
According to the researchers, the new approach proved robust even when working with ancient or heavily altered samples. In particular, statistical signs of biological origin were preserved in the fossilized shells of dinosaur eggs.
The authors of the study believe that the method could be used in future space missions aimed at searching for life on Mars, Europa, Enceladus, and other objects in the Solar System.
Klenner emphasized that no single method can definitively confirm the existence of extraterrestrial life. However, if several independent approaches yield the same result, it could serve as a strong argument in favor of its existence.
