The question about the stability of certain biomolecules is directly connected to the life-detection missions aiming to search for past or present life beyond Earth. The extreme conditions experienced on extraterrestrial planet surface (e.g. Mars), characterized by ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, CO2-atmosphere and reactive species, may destroy the hypothetical traces of life. In this context, the study of the biomolecules behaviour after ionizing radiation exposure could provide support for the onboard instrumentation and data interpretation of the life exploration missions on other planets. Here, as a part of STARLIFE campaign, we investigated the effects of gamma rays on two classes of fungal biomolecules–nucleic acids and melanin pigments – considered as promising biosignatures to search for during the ‘in situ life-detection’ missions beyond Earth.

In this paper we consider efficiency of self-reproducing extraterrestrial Von-Neumann micro scale robots and analyse the observational characteristics. By examining the natural scenario of moving in the HII clouds, it has been found that the timescale of replication might be several years and even less – making the process of observation quite promising. We have shown that by encountering the interstellar protons the probes might be visible at least in the infrared energy band and the corresponding luminosities might reach enormous values.

In this paper, we revisit the Dysonian approach and assume that a superadvanced civilization is capable of building a cosmic megastructure located closer than the habitable zone (HZ). Then such a Dyson Sphere (DS) might be visible in the optical spectrum. We have shown that for typical high melting point metamaterial – Graphene, the radius of the DS should be of the order of 1011 cm, or even less. It has been estimated that energy required to maintain the cooling system inside the DS is much less than the luminosity of a star. By considering the stability problem, we have found that the radiation pressure might stabilize dynamics of the megastructure and as a result it will oscillate, leading to interesting observational features – anomalous variability. The similar variability will occur by means of the transverse waves propagating along the surface of the cosmic megastructure. In the summary, we also discuss the possible generalization of the definition of HZs that might lead to very interesting observational features.

In the previous paper ring (Osmanov 2016) (henceforth Paper-I) we have extended the idea of Freeman Dyson and have shown that a supercivilization has to use ring-like megastructures around pulsars instead of a spherical shell. In this work we reexamine the same problem in the observational context and we show that facilities of modern infrared (IR) telescopes (Very Large Telescope Interferometer and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)) might efficiently monitor the nearby zone of the solar system and search for the IR Dyson-rings up to distances of the order of 0.2 kpc, corresponding to the current highest achievable angular resolution, 0.001 mas. In this case the total number of pulsars in the observationally reachable area is about 64 ± 21. We show that pulsars from the distance of the order of ~ 1 kpc are still visible for WISE as point-like sources but in order to confirm that the object is the neutron star, one has to use the ultraviolet telescopes, which at this moment cannot provide enough sensitivity.

A new method is proposed to search for extraterrestrial life adapted to cold environments far from the Sun. To keep warm, using the light from a distant sun, any life-form must grow a system of optical concentrators, lenses or mirrors, to focus sunlight on to its vital parts. Any light not absorbed, or any heat radiation emitted from the vital parts, will be focused by the optical concentrators into a narrow beam pointing back towards the sun. To search for such life-forms, we should scan the sky with optical and infrared telescopes pointing directly away from the Sun. Any living vegetation will be seen as a bright patch in strong contrast to its dark surroundings, like the eyes of a nocturnal animal caught in the headlights of a car. This method of search may be used either with space-based or with ground-based telescopes. Examples of places where the method would work well are the surfaces of Europa, Trojan asteroids or Kuiper Belt objects. Any life-form that adapted successfully to a vacuum environment would be likely to spread widely over objects with icy surfaces in the outer regions of the solar system.