Alien life likelier to exist on purple planets

Based on the theory that Earth`s very first inhabitants were purple bacteria, a new study has claimed that purple planets are more likely to house alien life than any other planet.

London: Based on the theory that Earth`s very first inhabitants were purple bacteria, a new study has claimed that purple planets are more likely to house alien life than any other planet.

It is understood that if similar microbes reside in any Earth-like exoplanets host, their unique hue, which would be visible from space, can help detect signs of life in distant worlds, New Scientist reported.

To test the hypothesis, a team of researchers at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands created a model of an exoplanet resembling a very early Earth.

The team found that if the purple microbes thrive on land or on nutrient-rich coastlines, they produce a telltale signal in the total light reflected by the planet.

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