Panel Says Agency Too Focused On Detecting Water

The current method used by NASA to study for signs of extraterrestrial life may be completely off-base, a US National Academy of Sciences panel said this week.

NASA commissioned the report, according to Australia's Courier-Mail newspaper, to determine of its current "follow the water" approach is sound. The panel responded by saying the space agency may be short-sighted in thinking alien life would be comparable to life on Earth, containing elements of water and carbon.

"The purpose of this whole report was to be able to look for life on other planets and moons with an open mind ... and not maybe miss some other life form because we are looking for some obvious life form," said John Baross, professor of oceanography at the University of Washington in Seattle, who chaired the committee.

Panelists added recent findings of extremophiles -- organisms that live and flourish under inhospitable conditions, such as heat, cold, dark, and harsh chemicals -- suggest extraterrestrial life could also evolve in a similar manner.

Baross added lab experiments show water isn't necessarily a requirement for life -- chemicals such as methane, ammonia, and ethane could also support specific types of extraterrestrial existence.

"We had some discussion about how weird to make this because there are so many concepts out here," he said. "There are so many theories about what life is and what could be a living system."

NASA's current telescopes and probes are tuned to detect signs of water, past or present, on the surface of planets such as Mars. Baross says the agency may want to reconsider its aim, and take another look at less conventional areas of our solar system -- like Venus, and Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus -- for signs of life.

"We wanted to actually think outside of that box a little bit and at least try to articulate some of the other possibilities besides water-carbon life," Baross adds.

FMI: www.nasa.gov, www.nationalacademies.org