Welcome to our podcast where we cover unique and interesting stories for you in this episode we will discuss how AI is helping search for alien life on Mars and Beyond aliens have long been a fascinating subject for humans innumerable movies TV series and books are proof of this Allure our search for extraterrestrials has even taken us to other planets albeit remotely this search has progressed Leaps and Bounds in the last few years but it is still in its natal stages Global space agencies like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and China National Space Administration have in recent years sent Rovers to Mars to Aid this search remotely however the accuracy of these random searches remains low to remedy this the search for extraterrestrial intelligence Institute has been exploring the use of artificial intelligence for finding extraterrestrial life on Mars and other icy worlds according to a report on Space a recent study from seti states that AI could be used to detect microbial life in the depths of the icy oceans on other planets in a paper published in nature astronomy the team details how they trained a machine learning model to scan data for signs of microbial life or other unusual features that could be indicative of alien life using a machine learning algorithm called convolutional neural networks a multidisciplinary team of scientists led by CT's Kim Warren roads has mapped sparse life forms on Earth Warren rhs worked alongside experts from other prestigious institutions Michael Phillips of Johns Hopkins Applied Physics lab and Freddy kis of the University of Oxford the system developed by them used statistical ecology and AI detected bios signatures with up to 87.5% accuracy compared to only 10% for random searches as per the researchers it can potentially reduce the search area by up to 97% making it easier for scientists to locate potential chemical traces of life for testing their system they initially focused on the sparse life forms that dwell in salt does rocks and crystals at salad deales at the boundary of the Chilean atakama desert and altiplano Warren rhods and his team collected over 8,000 images and 1,000 samples from salad deonis to search for photosynthetic microbes that may represent a bio signature on NASA's ladder of Life detection for finding life beyond Earth the team also used drone imagery to to simulate Mars reconnaissance orbiters highresolution Imaging experiment cameras Martian terrain images to examine the region they found that microbial life in the region is concentrated in biological hotspots that strongly relate to the availability of water researchers suggest that the machine learning tools developed can be used in robotic planetary missions like NASA's perseverance Rover the tools can guide Rovers towards areas with a higher probability of having traces of alien life even if they are rare or hidden with these models we can design tailor made road maps and algorithms to guide Rovers to places with the highest probability of harboring past or present life no matter how hidden or rare explained Warren rhs thanks for tuning in if you enjoyed this episode be sure to subscribe and share your thoughts in the comments stay connected for more exciting discussion and updates in our next video