Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope may have spotted signs of life on a distant planet.
They found chemical traces of gases in the planet’s atmosphere that could be made by living things.
The gases are dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS).
On Earth, these gases are produced by tiny living things like plankton in the ocean.
The planet is called K2-18 b.
It’s about 8.6 times heavier than Earth and 2.6 times bigger.
K2-18 b orbits a small, cool star in the constellation Leo, about 124 light-years from us.
It’s in a zone where life might be possible.
The James Webb Space Telescope had already found methane and carbon dioxide in K2-18 b’s atmosphere.
This was the first time these basic building blocks of life were seen on a planet where life could exist.
More About K2-18 b
K2-18 b might be a “Hycean world.”
This means it could have oceans covering its surface and a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.
These conditions might be right for simple life forms.
Professor Nikku Madhusudhan, an astrophysicist from the University of Cambridge, leads the research team.
He says this discovery is a big step in searching for life beyond our solar system.
The team is excited, but they know they need to be careful.
They must check their data and consider other explanations for the gases they found.
Next Steps
The scientists plan to make more observations and study their data further.
They want to see if there are other natural processes that could produce these gases without life being present.
Other experts, like Christopher Glein from the Southwest Research Institute, agree that K2-18 b is a fascinating planet.
However, they also stress the need for more testing and analysis.
The search for life beyond Earth continues, with scientists using powerful tools like the James Webb Space Telescope to explore the universe.
The discovery of gases on K2-18 b that might be linked to life is an important step in this ongoing quest.