PROOF of alien life may not come from flying saucers or messages from the cosmos, but from spotting the air that extraterrestrials breathe.
A Scottish scientist working with Nasa has conducted experiments that narrows the signs researchers should look for when seeking signs of life on planets far beyond the solar system.
While searching for life on other planets, astronomers rely on finding gases - such as oxygen, ozone or methane - in the planet's atmosphere, as these are thought to be significant signs of the existence of life.
Dr Mark Claire discovered these signs might not be as definitive proof as thought, and said researchers should look for a mix of different types of gases.
Dr Claire, a Research Fellow in St Andrews University's School of Geography and Geosciences, said: "We set out to discover if the detection of oxygen, ozone, and methane in the atmosphere of an exoplanet around another star, in another solar system, would be a strong indication of life.
"We simulated thousands of lifeless planetary atmospheres.
"Our work strengthens the belief the existence of detectable levels of oxygen, ozone and methane together would be a convincing sign of life on another planet. However, the existence of only one of these gases is not.
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