Now, motion detector to sniff out alien life on planets

A new study has recently found that motion detector can be used to spot microorganisms on other planets without any need of chemical foreknowledge.

The study, performed by Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne (EPFL), developed an extremely sensitive and simple nano-sized cantilever motion detector that was considered for the rapid testing of drugs and even the detection of extraterrestrial life.

Researchers explained that cantilever was a beam that could be anchored only at one end, with the other end bearing a load was implemented on the micrometer scale to deposit about 500 bacteria.

The study mentioned that the cantilever scans the surface like the needle of a record player and its up-and-down movement was read by a laser to produce an image.

Giovanni Dietler, researcher at EPFL said that the detector had the benefit of being completely chemistry-free, which states that it could be used anywhere like in drug testing or even in the search for extraterrestrial life.

The study report is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).