KOMPAS.com – Dinosaurs, a group of ancient reptiles that became extinct more than 65 million years ago, may still exist on other planets.
A new study suggests planets far from Earth may harbor dinosaur-like species.
In fact, a study in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society states that humans currently may have the ability to find these reptiles.
“The modern Earth’s light fingerprint has become our reference for identifying potentially habitable planets,” said study author and Austrian astronomer, Lisa Kaltenegger, quoted from the New York Post, Saturday (18/11/2023).
This fingerprint, which consists of organic molecules, aims to understand and classify planets in other stars.
However, he continued, there are times when these fingerprints become clearer and better at showing signs of life on other planets.
Dinosaurs may still exist on other planets
According to the study, researchers can detect life on other planets by looking for compounds that no longer exist on Earth, but existed during the time of the dinosaurs.
In the future, these compounds will lead humans to the discovery of ancient creatures, such as dinosaurs.
Reporting from the Daily Star, Monday (20/11/2023), Earth, as the only habitable planet known to humans, has undergone several evolutions.
The composition of the Earth’s atmosphere, aka the air layer, has changed significantly throughout history, starting from oxygen levels below 10 percent to above 35 percent.
During the time of the dinosaurs, tens of millions of years ago, Earth was recorded to have had much higher oxygen levels, namely around 30 percent.
This percentage of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere allows complex creatures such as giant reptiles to grow and live.
Currently, the percentage of oxygen that fills the Earth’s atmosphere has reached 21 percent.
It is this higher percentage or level of oxygen that researchers think could be an indication of the type of life on other planets.
“Hopefully we will find some planets that have more oxygen than Earth currently has,” Kaltenegger said.
“Because it will make the search for life a little easier, and who knows, maybe there are other dinosaurs waiting to be discovered,” he continued.
Also read: Rare Fossil Site in Argentina Reveals Views of Dinosaurs’ Final Days Before They Extinct
Hope it is easier to find signs of life
Mark A Garlick
Illustration of signs of life on planets other than Earth.
The lead author of the study and scientist at Cornell University, New York, United States, Rebecca Payne, said that one of the clues that researchers can look for is a planet that may be in the Phanerozoic stage.
For your information, the Phanerozoic is an eon or geological time scale with a lot of animal or creature life.
This era began around 545 million years ago, when the first hard-shelled animals appeared and still exist today.
According to Payne, the Phanerozoic era allowed a planet to be home to a variety of large and complex life forms, including dinosaurs.
“The Phanerozoic is only 12 percent or so of Earth’s recent history, but it covers almost the entire time when life was more complex than microbes and sponges,” explains Payne.
These conditions, according to him, give humans hope that it will be easier to find signs of large and complex life elsewhere.
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2023-11-21 11:00:00
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