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The search for extrasolar planets is currently undergoing a seismic shift. With the deployment of the Kepler Space Telescope<\/em> and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite<\/em> (TESS), scientists discovered thousands of exoplanets, most of which were detected and confirmed using indirect methods. But in more recent years, and with the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope<\/em> (JWST), the field has been transitioning toward one of characterization. In this process, scientists rely on emission spectra from exoplanet atmospheres to search for the chemical signatures we associate with life (biosignatures).<\/p>\n However, there\u2019s some controversy regarding the kinds of signatures scientists should look for. Essentially, astrobiology uses life on Earth as a template when searching for indications of extraterrestrial life, much like how exoplanet hunters use Earth as a standard for measuring \u201chabitability.\u201d But as many scientists have pointed out, life on Earth and its natural environment have evolved considerably over time. In a recent paper, an international team demonstrated how astrobiologists could look for life on TRAPPIST-1e based on what existed on Earth billions of years ago.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The team consisted of astronomers and astrobiologists from the Global Systems Institute, and the Departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics and Statistics, and Natural Sciences at the University of Exeter. They were joined by researchers from the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria and the Natural History Museum in London. The paper that describes their findings, \u201cBiosignatures from pre-oxygen photosynthesizing life on TRAPPIST-1e,\u201d will be published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societ<\/em>y (MNRAS).<\/p>\n \n