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Scientists have announced a groundbreaking discovery that may indicate the existence of life beyond our solar system. They have detected chemical compounds on a distant exoplanet that, on Earth, are predominantly produced by living organisms.
Utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers have found traces of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) in the atmosphere of K2-18b, a planet located 124 light-years away from Earth and approximately two-and-a-half times larger than our own. The telescope is capable of analyzing the planet’s atmospheric composition by examining the light that filters through it from its small red sun.
On our planet, DMS and DMDS are mainly produced by microbial life forms, particularly marine phytoplankton. Although scientists warn that there could be unknown chemical processes responsible for these molecules, their detection on K2-18b, which resides within its star’s habitable zone, is viewed as a promising sign of potential life.
Professor Nikku Madhusudhan from Cambridge University’s Institute of Astronomy remarked, “This is the most compelling evidence we have that there could be life out there. I can realistically predict that we will confirm this signal within one to two years. The estimated concentration of this gas in the atmosphere is thousands of times greater than what we observe on Earth. Therefore, if the link to life is genuine, this planet could be bustling with life.”
These findings have prompted some researchers to theorize that K2-18b might even be enveloped by an ocean. Dr. David Clements, an astrophysicist at Imperial College London who was not part of the study, advised caution, stating, “While this does not yet constitute a definitive detection of Dimethyl Sulfide and Dimethyl Disulfide, it is a significant step forward.”
Earlier this year, various analyses of Webb data employing different statistical models revealed no compelling evidence for DMS or DMDS.
Madhusudhan’s team subsequently reexamined the data and expressed being “more confident” that DMS provides the best explanation for the observations. In the meantime, Dr. Renyu Hu at the California Institute of Technology and his colleagues discovered that although some models, including DMS, fit the data marginally better, the outcomes did not reach the statistical threshold necessary for a conclusive detection.
The discovery has ignited enthusiasm within the scientific community, underscoring both the possibilities for life on exoplanets and the difficulties in validating such discoveries.