Extremophiles grown under a starlight simulator suggest that exoplanets orbiting red dwarf stars may have conditions ripe for photosynthesis, say researchers.
Our nearest astronomical neighbor is Proxima Centauri, a tiny red dwarf star some 4.25 light years from here. In recent years, Proxima has become the focus of huge attention. In 2016, astronomers discovered it hosted an Earth-sized exoplanet in the habitable zone where conditions should be ripe for liquid water.
Their work suggests that, at least as far as the spectrum of light is concerned, red dwarfs have the capability to host photosynthetic life forms. In turn, this hints at the kind of biosignature these lifeforms might present to distant observers, such as ourselves.First, some background.
Light with shorter wavelengths in the ultraviolet is too energetic and tends to damage cells and the molecular machinery they contain while longer wavelength light in the infrared does not have enough energy to break chemical bonds and so cannot be harnessed for photosynthesis. The team created an environment that simulates the spectrum of light that red dwarf stars produce. This has little blue and green light but much red light; it is also dimmer. The environment can also reproduce the spectrum of ordinary sunlight and even produce just far-red light. The team then attempted to grow various types of bacteria in these environments.
Astrobiologists worry that exoplanets around red dwarfs might not have enough water or other volatile chemicals, that they might be exposed to too much extreme ultraviolet from flares that these stars are prone to. These factors are beyond the scope of the current paper.
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