Is There Such a Thing as a Biosignature?

Malaterre, Christophe; ten Kate, Inge Loes; Baqué, Mickael; Debaille, Vinciane; Grenfell, John Lee; Javaux, Emmanuelle J.; Khawaja, Nozair; Klenner, Fabian; Lara, Yannick J.; McMahon, Sean; Moore, Keavin; Noack, Lena; Patty, C.H. Lucas; Postberg, Frank (2023). Is There Such a Thing as a Biosignature? Astrobiology, 23(11), pp. 1213-1227. Mary Ann Liebert 10.1089/ast.2023.0042

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The concept of a biosignature is widely used in astrobiology to suggest a link between some observation and a biological cause, given some context. The term itself has been defined and used in several ways in different parts of the scientific community involved in the search for past or present life on Earth and beyond. With the ongoing acceleration in the search for life in distant time and/or deep space, there is a need for clarity and accuracy in the formulation and reporting of claims. Here, we critically review the biosignature concept(s) and the associated nomenclature in light of several problems and ambiguities emphasized by recent works. One worry is that these terms and concepts may imply greater certainty than is usually justified by a rational interpretation of the data. A related worry is that terms such as “biosignature” may be inherently misleading, for example, because the divide between life and non-life—and their observable effects—is fuzzy. Another worry is that different parts of the multidisciplinary community may use non-equivalent or conflicting definitions and conceptions, leading to avoidable confusion. This review leads us to identify a number of pitfalls and to suggest how they can be circumvented. In general, we conclude that astrobiologists should exercise particular caution in deciding whether and how to use the concept of biosignature when thinking and communicating about habitability or life. Concepts and terms should be selected carefully and defined explicitly where appropriate. This would improve clarity and accuracy in the formulation of claims and subsequent technical and public communication about some of the most profound and important questions in science and society. With this objective in mind, we provide a checklist of questions that scientists and other interested parties should ask when assessing any reported detection of a “biosignature” to better understand exactly what is being claimed.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Physics Institute > Space Research and Planetary Sciences
08 Faculty of Science > Physics Institute
10 Strategic Research Centers > Center for Space and Habitability (CSH)
08 Faculty of Science > Physics Institute > NCCR PlanetS

UniBE Contributor:

Patty, Christian Herman Lucas

Subjects:

500 Science > 530 Physics
500 Science > 520 Astronomy
500 Science

ISSN:

1531-1074

Publisher:

Mary Ann Liebert

Language:

English

Submitter:

Danielle Zemp

Date Deposited:

04 Apr 2024 09:38

Last Modified:

13 May 2024 16:14

Publisher DOI:

10.1089/ast.2023.0042

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/194988

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/194988

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