BBC Sky at Night

Ezzy Pearson interviews Professor Jayne Birkby Q & A WITH AN EXOPLANET EXAMINER

How are you using exoplanet atmospheres to look for life?

Life impacts our atmosphere on Earth. The amount of oxygen in our atmosphere is in a disequilibrium state; there's something constantly replenishing it in our atmosphere – and that's life. If all life on Earth was to suddenly disappear, the oxygen in our atmosphere would disappear. The idea is that if we can see the sameelsewhere, that starts to become a signature that maybe life is causing that.

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