Is alien life purple? Researchers look beyond Earths green [Video]

Is alien life purple?

When we look at Earth from space, the color green means life. It represents trees, grass, crops and everything that grows with the help of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a pigment found in nearly all plants that use photosynthesis to absorb energy from the sun and turn light into fuel. Chlorophyll also gives plants their green color. But in some environments on Earth without sunlight or oxygen, life uses infrared radiation for energy. And many of these bacteria are purple. What if life on other worlds uses infrared radiation instead of sunlight? According to a press release from Cornell University on April 16, 2024, we’d need to be looking for a light fingerprint of a purple planet.

Lígia Fonseca Coelho of Cornell University said:

Purple bacteria can thrive under a wide range of conditions, making it one of the primary contenders for life that could dominate a variety of worlds.

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