NEWS JOURNAL

BIOSIGNATURES IN SPACE

Unusual form of oxygen found above the Earth

Heavy atomic oxygen – with 10 neutrons in its nucleus compared to the eight seen in its most widespread form – has been discovered in the upper layers of the Earth’s atmosphere, details All About Space. A recently published study describes how researchers used a flying telescope to detect this type of oxygen. However, it is not a surprise to find high concentrations of heavy oxygen close to the Earth’s surface as this atomic element is commonly produced by photosynthetic living organisms – hinting at a potential new method for tracing life on other habitable planets in our galaxy.