NASA is developing a new portable "chemical laptop" that is designed to increase the efficiency of data collection and help scientists discover life on other planets, according to Space. The device has the capability of analyzing chemicals such as amino acids and fatty acids from extraterrestrial planets in order to better understand extraterrestrial life.
Of particular importance to the device are left-handed amino acids, which make up most of the living organisms on Earth, as well as right-handed amino acids, which scientists believe could be the building blocks of life on other planets. The device uses a microchip to separate the two different kinds of amino acids so that researchers can determine the ratio when analyzing foreign terrains.
"If a test found a 50-50 mixture of left-handed and right-handed amino acids, we could conclude that the sample was probably not of biological origin," said Jessica Creamer, a postdoctoral fellow based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. "But if we were to find an excess of either left- or right-[handed amino acids], that would be the golden ticket. That would be the best evidence so far that life exists on other planets."
In addition to determining amino acid ratios, the device will is also able to determine if the acids originated from a life form, according to The Verge.
Despite the fact that the device will not be ready for exploratory uses until at least 2021, it still has the potential for use on Earth for environmental and drug testing, according to Engadget.
