Planets with hydrogen-rich atmospheres could harbor life

Lab experiments show that yeast and E. coli survive and reproduce in hydrogen-rich conditions

illustration of a landscape on another planet

Life on an inhabited exoplanet (one possibility illustrated here) would emit gases that could build up in the atmosphere, where astronomers on Earth can detect them. New work shows an atmosphere made entirely of hydrogen would be worth checking for those biosignatures.

Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Alamy Stock Photo

Microbes can live and grow in an atmosphere of pure hydrogen, lab experiments show.