--- title: "Weird New Theory: Aliens Could Be Using Toxic Gas as Defense" description: "An MIT postdoctoral student has a strange new theory for finding aliens and extraterrestrial life: scan the skies for phosphine, a foul-smelling, toxic gas." date: "2019-06-25" modified: "2019-06-25" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/weird-theory-aliens-toxic-gas-defense" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Exobiology" - "Space" tags: - "alien life" - "aliens" - "extraterrestrial" - "the digest" --- # Weird New Theory: Aliens Could Be Using Toxic Gas as Defense ![An MIT postdoctoral student has a strange new suggestion for finding extraterrestrial life: scan the skies for phosphine, a foul-smelling, toxic gas.]() *\Image: ChadoNihi/Victor Tangermann\* ## Toxic Gases At the Astrobiology Science Conference in Seattle, MIT postdoctoral student Clara Sousa-Silva [talked about]() a strange new way to find extraterrestrial life: look for the existence of phosphine, an "extremely flammable, incredibly toxic, outrageously foul-smelling molecule," as Sousa-Silva [described it to *Live Science*](). The idea is simple: since phosphine is so immensely reactive to oxygen and requires huge amounts of energy to produce, it shouldn't really exist on Earth — but it does exist, it's all over the place in fact. That's because microorganisms on our planet produce it in oxygen-free environments, as Sousa-Silva points out. Human activity has also been responsible for producing small quantities of it through the production of things like insecticides and methamphetamines. "It appears that any detectable amount of phosphine on a rocky temperate exoplanet could only be produced by life," Sousa-Vida told *Live Science*. ## A Smelly Theory In fact, phosphine would be easier to detect on other exoplanets, as Sousa-Silva and her team found through computer simulations. Her theory goes on to suggest that extraterrestrial life could be using the strange gas as a defense mechanism or even to communicate with other cells. While it could technically be possible, it's still a pretty far-fetched method to look for alien life — the theory is "no one's obvious choice," Sousa-Silva admitted. **READ MORE:** [On Alien Worlds, Extraterrestrials Could Be Spewing a Toxic, Smelly Gas. That's How We Could Find Them.]() \[*Live Science*\] **More on aliens:** *[Professor: Belief in Aliens Could Replace Traditional Religion]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()