The 'revolutionary' (pardon the pun) theory may become extremely helpful to astronomers searching for traces of extraterrestrial life outside our solar system.
Speaking with Space.com, Sharf, the director of the Columbia Astrobiology Center at Columbia University and author of a new study on the subject, explained that while the idea "that biology, or a biosphere, could conceivably influence the rotation of a planet by altering [its] atmospheric composition" may sound "crazy," it actually "seems that it's not impossible."
The same can be said of the impact an atmosphere has on a planet's heating and cooling cycle, the atmosphere effectively providing "a handle, if you will, like a big wrench, for gravitational forces from the star or moons to pull on the atmosphere," the scientist said.
The astronomer pointed out that a great deal more research still needs to be done on the subject. "What I've done is just lay out a plausible 'what if' scenario, with some educated guesses for the numbers," he said. Future work using 3D computer models simulating the impact lifeforms have on planets can confirm or contest his hypothesis, according to Sharf.