Forget Searching for Individual Biosignatures. Instead, Find Their Patterns

The search for life elsewhere focuses on biosignatures. These are chemicals in atmospheres that can only be attributed to life. But despite the prowess of the JWST, finding slam-dunk proof of life on other worlds is a confounding exercise. New research suggests that rather than focus on individual chemicals, we should look for statistical patterns. Earth, the only life-hosting world we know of, contains signs of that life in its atmosphere. Oxygen/ozone is most convincing, because without being replenished by life, it would disappear quickly. Methane is another one, because it's produces by met... [7178 chars]