A biosignature is any substance, pattern or feature in the atmosphere, surface or spectrum of a planet, moon or other body that provides scientific evidence of past or present life. Commonly discussed examples include atmospheric gases that would not persist together without ongoing biological replenishment, such as oxygen alongside methane, as well as surface pigments, seasonal atmospheric changes, and certain isotopic ratios in rock. Detecting a candidate biosignature does not by itself prove life is present, since many such signals can in principle also be produced by non-biological processes, so identifying and ruling out false positives is a central challenge in the search for life beyond Earth.
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