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View submission: Ask Anything Wednesday - Physics, Astronomy, Earth and Planetary Science
You can look in an exoplanet's atmosphere for compounds that are believed to be primarily produced through biological processes. One example is molecular oxygen, which mostly comes from photosynthesis. Unfortunately most of these compounds can also form through abiotic processes, so they wouldn't be definitive proof of life.
I found an interesting literature review of exoplanet biosignatures if you'd like to look a little deeper: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/ast.2017.1729#s032[1].
1: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/ast.2017.1729#s032
There's nothing here!