The news is filled this week with a story about possible life on a distant exoplanet? What did scientists find?
The exoplanet is named K2-18b, and it orbits a red star that is about 124 light-years away. It is also about 2.6 times larger than the Earth and 8.6 times as massive.
Scientists using data from the James Webb Space Telescope have detected a biosignature similar to molecules – dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) – associated with marine phytoplankton on our planet.
Nikku Madhusudhan, professor of astrophysics and exoplanetary science at the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy, stated:
Earlier theoretical work had predicted that high levels of sulfur-based gases like DMS and DMDS are possible on Hycean worlds…And now we’ve observed it, in line with what was predicted. Given everything we know about this planet, a Hycean world with an ocean that is teeming with life is the scenario that best fits the data we have.
A Hycean planet is basically a world with liquid oceans and a hydrogen-rich atmosphere. Such planets are also more common around red dwarf stars.
Of course, more work is necessary to determine whether this finding could relate to something other than biological life, but its does offer exciting possibilities and a clear target for more study.
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