AI to help in search for alien life

London, April 4 (IANS) Artificial Intelligence (AI) could help astronomers predict the probability of life on other planets, according to a new study. Using artificial neural networks (ANNs) researchers from Britain's Plymouth University classified planets into five types, based on whether they are most like the present-day Earth, the early Earth, Mars, Venus or Saturn's moon Titan, estimating a probability of life in each case. All five of these objects are rocky bodies known to have atmospheres and are among the most potentially habitable objects in the Solar System. "We're currently interested in these ANNs for prioritising exploration for a hypothetical, intelligent, interstellar spacecraft scanning an exoplanet system at range," said Christopher Bishop from the varsity. "We're also looking at the use of large area, deployable, planar Fresnel antennas to get data back to Earth from an interstellar probe at large distances. This would be needed if the technology is used in robotic spacecraft in the future," Bishop added.