Listening for Alien Life: Could New Tech Detect Microbe Movements?

Spacecraft may one day be able to detect alien life by listening to the sounds microbes make. Scientists are testing a new microphone technology called the remote acoustic sensor (RAS), which is capable of capturing sounds within extreme and often inaccessible aerospace environments. "If there's life, and if it moves, it may make RAS-detectable sounds," said RAS lead technologist Dan Slater, an independent consultant based in La Habra Heights, California.