Methyl halides, detected in space, are key biosignatures in the search for extraterrestrial life, indicating potential biological activity on exoplanets.

“If we start finding methyl halides on multiple planets, it would suggest that microbial life is common across the universe,” said Leung.

What can methyl halides, which are gases that consist of one carbon and three hydrogen atoms while being attached to a halogen atom, help scientists identify life beyond Earth? This is what a recent ...

A Hycean exoplanet could have detectable methyl halide gases in its atmosphere that could indicate the presence of life. Credit: Amanda Smith illustration These gases — composed of carbon ...

The gases themselves are called methyl halides. On Earth, they are usually made by bacteria, fungi, or similar – and they are made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms attached to a halogen atom.

Scientists have identified a promising new way to detect life on faraway planets, hinging on worlds that look nothing like Earth and gases rarely considered in the search for extraterrestrials. In a ...

However, methyl halides on Hycean worlds offer a unique opportunity for detection with existing technology,” said Michaela Leung, UCR planetary scientist and first author of the paper. Additionally, ...

However, methyl halides appear particularly promising because of their strong absorption features in infrared light as well as their potential for high accumulation in a hydrogen-dominated atmosphere.

However, methyl halides appear particularly promising because of their strong absorption features in infrared light as well as their potential for high accumulation in a hydrogen-dominated atmosphere.

Vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to study the surface residence and organization of gas-phase methyl halide and methyl alcohol ...