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The origin of life on Earth has long been a mystery that has eluded scientists. A key question is how much of the history of life on Earth is lost to time. It is quite common for a single species to "phase out" using a biochemical reaction, and if this happens across enough species, such reactions could effectively be "forgotten" by life on Earth.

It's all to do with the idea of "panspermia" a fringe theory which suggests that life forms can move from planet to planet by 'hitching rides' on meteors.

Detecting chemical biosignatures on exoplanets is a painstaking process fraught with potential false positives. Is there a better way?