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Autonomous Robot Finds Life in Atacama Desert

Posted by timothy on from the dry-wit dept.

Neil Halelamien writes "Nature and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report that a NASA-funded "robotic astrobiologist" named Zoë (a successor to the Hyperion rover) has found life in Chile's Atacama desert. The Atacama is the Earth's driest desert, with steep slopes and rugged terrain. This is the first robot to remotely detect life, finding bacteria (and lichens, in the less dry areas) by using a fluorescent imager. The robot could also spray special dyes to detect life signatures like DNA, protein, lipids, and carbohydrates. Zoë's next assignment will be to autonomously sample soil over 50 kilometers of the Atacama. The Atacama desert is thought to be similar to Mars; instruments similar to those used on the 1970s Viking missions have previously failed to detect life there."

7 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. IANABiologist by thedustbustr · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why would life on mars necessarily be DNA-based, and why would protiens and lipids nessarily evolve if life evolves? Certainly, other methods of reproduction may have evolved.

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    1. Re:IANABiologist by Toresica · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sure, we might not recognise life if we find it. But we know DNA-based life works - why not look for it?

      I've heard speculation that the first microbes might have come to Earth from Mars - if so, it would likely be somewhat similar to life here.

    2. Re:IANABiologist by KitFox · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Why would life on mars necessarily be DNA-based, and why would protiens and lipids nessarily evolve if life evolves? Certainly, other methods of reproduction may have evolved.

      I actually have to agree with this observation completely. If we consider that our definition of life seems to include specific chemicals and processes and results, and that we really have no other definitions of life, then I suppose that we have no other choice but to see in tunnel vision.

      The issue I think is that perhaps we have too strict a definition of "what is necesary for life". Consider: With the recent article on self-replicating rapid prototypers, how far are we away from the possibility of machines that can consume raw materials, process them to create power and more complex materials, and possibly reproduce new copies of themselves? That fits the most basic definition of 'life' already. But there's no DNA, or protiens, or any other such things involved.

      Maybe we need to start revising our views on what constitutes "signs of life" if we want to have accurate findings. Either that or realize that we can only search for "Life as we know it" specifically.

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  2. Hmmm... by PyWiz · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The Atacama desert is thought to be similar to Mars; instruments similar to those used on the 1970s Viking missions have previously failed to detect life there.

    Let me get this straight, these robots failed to detect life on earth, yet we spend billions of dollars to send them to Mars where they would, once again, fail to find life? Hurrah for the federal bureaucracy!

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  3. Re:Contamination probably by Guppy06 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Then it won't find any more signs of life when it goes along its test sample route of 50 km, as mentioned in the blurb.

  4. 1cm/year water due to fog by aepervius · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Moisture is probably more than enough to sustain lichen and bacteria colony. Especially that this does not get that hot (link from article say it all) and part are even snowy due to altitude. Actually it may be the driest desert but not the hotest. So getting water might be a problem but eveaporation mightnot be the biggest problem. Heck, even in sahara, where you have mostly sand, you have life.

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  5. Atacama similar to Mars, really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So the Atacama is similar to Mars? Well both may be dry, but the Atacama temperature range is 0..25'C, and Mars is, well, a lot colder?

    Don't just assume this robot will function correctly on Mars at Martian temperatures (or even after the space travel at inter-stellar temperatures (let a alone the radiation)), or that its various detection methods that function happily in the -10..+35'C zone will work happily at Martian temperatures and atmospheric pressures.

    Interesting that the article didn't mention either of these, and a quick scan of the Slashdot replies missed these relatively obvious problems.