Suppose there are signs of extraterrestrial life and we have not yet been able to detect them. What does that mean? In the renowned journal Nature Astronomy, researchers including from the Early Life Lab (UR Astrobiology) discuss the consequences of these so-called false-negative results. “We are currently investing a great deal of money in missions that might need to be designed differently.”

One of the main goals of astrobiology, the science that investigates the origin of life in the universe, is to test the hypothesis that extraterrestrial life exists. In practice, this means searching for evidence, a process in which ambiguous and disputable results are common. Astrobiologists are very aware of the possibility of these so-called ‘false-positive’ indications that wrongly suggest the existence of life. A false-negative result, on the other hand, means that we fail to detect life that is or was indeed present.  It means there are shortcomings in recognising the existence of life. These shortcomings are not yet high on the research agenda.

Inge Loes ten Kate, et al… Yannick Lara, ..Emmanuelle J Javaux, 2026 ‘False negatives in the search for extraterrestrial life’, Nature Astronomy, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-026-02863-0

From the first botanical characterization of cyanobacteria about two centuries ago to contemporary studies, only two categories of extracellular UV-screening pigments have been considered: scytonemin which is very well described and gloeocapsin, which remains enigmatic. In this study, we use Raman microspectroscopy to compare the extracellular EPS-associated pigment produced by the strain Chamaesiphon polonicus SAG 32.87 with gloeocapsins, scytonemins and other natural and synthetic pigments. Chemometrics analyses of Raman data reveal the existence of a third and new category of cyanobacterial extracellular pigment.

Lara, Y.J., Lambion, A. & Javaux, E.J. Novel Raman signature evidences an unknown cyanobacterial pigment. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-46521-x