Astronomers are reporting potentially groundbreaking, though preliminary, indications of possible life on a far-off planet.
The University of Cambridge spearheaded the study, which appeared in the journal and analyzed data obtained from the . The team identified the signatures of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and possibly dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) within the atmosphere of K2-18b. This exoplanet is located 124 light-years from Earth and, like our planet, resides within its star’s habitable zone, where liquid water could exist on a planet’s surface.
According to a Cambridge researcher, “On Earth, DMS and DMDS are exclusively produced by living organisms, mainly marine phytoplankton and other microbial life. Although these molecules in K2-18b’s atmosphere could originate from an unknown chemical process, these findings represent the most compelling evidence to date that life may exist beyond our solar system.”
The press release indicates a 0.3% chance that these findings are a statistical anomaly. This margin of error is too high to definitively claim a scientific discovery, which requires a probability of less than 0.00006% that the results occurred by chance.
K2-18b’s mass is 8.6 times greater than Earth’s, and its size is 2.6 times larger. Scientists have been closely observing this planet for several years. In 2023, researchers announced they had detected methane and carbon dioxide in K2-18b’s atmosphere, marking the first detection of carbon-based molecules in the atmosphere of an exoplanet within the habitable zone.
While the astronomers describe the new findings as “exciting,” they emphasize the need for further investigation before definitively claiming the discovery of life on another planet.
Nikku Madhusudhan, a professor at Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy and the research lead, stated in the university’s press release, “It’s crucial to maintain a healthy skepticism toward our own results, because only through rigorous and repeated testing can we reach a point of confidence in them. That’s the essence of the scientific process.”
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