Identifying molecules as biosignatures with assembly theory and mass spectrometry

Identifying molecules as biosignatures with assembly theory and mass spectrometry

The search for life in the universe is difficult due to issues with defining signatures of living systems. Here, the authors present an approach based on the molecular assembly number and tandem mass spectrometry that allows identification of molecules produced by biological systems, and use it to i...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Stuart M. Marshall, Cole Mathis, Emma Carrick, Graham Keenan, Geoffrey J. T. Cooper, Heather Graham, Matthew Craven, Piotr S. Gromski, Douglas G. Moore, Sara. I. Walker, Leroy Cronin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2021-05-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23258-x
Description
Summary:The search for life in the universe is difficult due to issues with defining signatures of living systems. Here, the authors present an approach based on the molecular assembly number and tandem mass spectrometry that allows identification of molecules produced by biological systems, and use it to identify biosignatures from a range of samples, including ones from outer space.
ISSN:2041-1723

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