When we look at Earth from space, the color green means life. It represents trees, grass, crops and everything that grows with the help of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a pigment found in nearly all plants that use photosynthesis to absorb energy from the sun and turn light into fuel. Chlorophyll also gives plants their green color. But in some environments on Earth without sunlight or oxygen, life uses infrared radiation for energy. And many of these bacteria are purple. So, what if life on other worlds uses infrared radiation instead of sunlight? According to Cornell University, we’d need to be looking for a purple planet.
Read more: earthsky.org/space/is-alien-l...
Producer and host: Kelly Kizer Whitt earthsky.org/author/kellywhitt/
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