3 ms·
hmm, I think what I read about was something different, rather to do with metabolism.
by c7b 4y ago
hmm, I think what I read about was something different, rather to do with metabolism.
- adastra22 4y agoThere are various gasses in atmospheres which if measured would be a biological signature. But we aren’t really able to spectrographically measure the atmospheres of exoplanets writ large, nor are biosignatures necessarily a sign of technological civilization.
- c7b 4y agomy understanding was that it would be an electromagnetic signature (ie we could detect infrared radiation from the heat generated as a byproduct of metabolism, or, at least, whatever energy transformations they perform in their technology, once we're talking about technological civilizations). that's what would be near-impossible to conceal (a biosphere might also be a marker, but that might be concealable somehow). and if it's true that metabolism would be detectable, then there couldn't really be such a thing as 'quiet' aliens anyway, that was my question.
- adastra22 4y agoThe infrared heat of metabolism would be indistinguishable from the background noise of natural sources.