Building Blocks of Alien Life tagged posts

Subjecting artificial amino acids to extreme conditions, researchers hunt for clues on what it takes to survive on other planets. Credit: Claire Mammoser, Valparaiso University

Subjecting artificial amino acids to extreme conditions, researchers hunt for clues on what it takes to survive on other planets. Scientists are attempting to identify the amino acids -building blocks that make proteins and support all life on Earth – that might feasibly form the basis of extraterrestrial life. The researchers have analyzed how an assortment of 15 amino acids, some found here on Earth in living organisms and some not found in living organisms on Earth, hold up in the face of extreme conditions found on other planets and moons.

Claire Mammoser, an undergraduate research assistant at Valparaiso Univer...