Earth plants could thrive under the light of an alien sun, according to a recent experiment.
A team of astrobiologists planted garden cress seeds and cultured dishes of photosynthetic bacteria under lights designed to simulate the light of a type of small, dim star called a K-dwarf. Seedlings and bacteria both grew well under the alien light — and the bacteria actually seemed to prefer alien starlight to the Earthly sunlight they evolved under. The results could eventually help astrobiologists figure out exactly what the chemical fingerprints of life in an alien atmosphere should look like.
