Can we find life in exoplanet atmospheres?

Join us for the latest in our ExoLife Hangouts!
When astronomers build telescopes to find life on nearby exoplanets, they're built with a wide range of capabilities including analyzing atmospheres for life signs. By using polar spectrometers they can analyze spectrum of photons that bounce off the surfaces and pass through these alien atmospheres, which gives scientists a lot rich and valuable data.
Join us this week as we talk with Dr. Tina Santl-Temkiv a microbiologist and assistant professor at Aarhus University who specializes in research that will enable us to detect signs of life inside the atmospheres of nearby exoplanets.
We’ll answer questions like:
Can microscopic organisms survive above the surface of exoplanets, whose terrain and lower atmospheres are inhospitable? What is the upper limit of how complex a life-form can be that lives in an exoplanet atmosphere? How would these organisms evolve to cope with the gravity, temperature and wind conditions of these unique living environments?