‘Oxygen not needed?’: The atmosphere that could turn any planet into Earth
Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Alien Worlds
Exoplanets come in extreme forms—lava spheres, diamond cores, and even planets that rain molten iron—but some are eerily Earth-like and sit in their star’s habitable zone.
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New Definition
Traditionally, a planet’s habitability is based on its distance from its star, but new research suggests that atmospheric composition may be just as crucial for sustaining life.
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Microbe Test
A study led by Asena Kuzucan of the University of Geneva tested whether Earth microbes like E. coli could survive in simulated exoplanet atmospheres, redefining our view of habitability.
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Famous Candidates
Planets like TRAPPIST-1e, Proxima Centauri b, and TOI-700 d lie in their star’s habitable zone, making them prime targets in the search for extraterrestrial life.
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Atmospheric Influence
Scientists found that a thick atmosphere can make a planet habitable, even if it lies outside the traditional habitable zone, expanding the list of potential life-hosting worlds.
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Extreme Conditions
In lab tests, researchers exposed E. coli to atmospheres of pure CO₂, N₂-rich, CH₄-rich, molecular hydrogen, and standard Earth air to assess microbial survival.
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Survival Bottles
The team placed E. coli K-12, a lab strain used in molecular biology, into bottles replicating these alien atmospheres, measuring growth patterns under different conditions.
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Bridging Theories
By combining climate simulations with biological experiments, researchers linked theoretical predictions with real microbial responses, creating a new framework for exoplanet habitability.
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Endless Possibilities
With nearly 6,000 exoplanets discovered, this research hints that life could exist in places previously deemed uninhabitable, reshaping the search for extraterrestrial organisms.
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