Planet Alien Life Discovery: Cambridge Team Finds Evidence on Distant K2-18b
Research from the University of Cambridge provides tantalizing evidence that the exoplanet K2-18b may host life. The team, led by Professor Nikku Madhusudhan, reported that in perhaps what might be an iconic finding in the quest for extraterrestrial life on Earth, they have detected the chemical signatures associated with life.
With this information about K2-18b, the James Webb Telescope (JWST) helped confirm the existence of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) in large quantities within its atmosphere. These gases are produced on Earth solely by marine microorganisms such as phytoplankton and bacteria.
Professor Madhusudhan mentioned, “This is the strongest evidence yet that there was possibly alien life out there.” “The amount we estimate of this gas in the atmosphere is thousands of times higher than what we have on Earth.”
K2-18b is about 700 trillion miles from Earth, or 2.5 times the radius of Earth. This, combined with the fact that this is the second detection of life-associated species in the atmosphere, gives credence to this assertion more leeway than before. Nevertheless, Madhusudhan along with many other independent astronomers has contended that further observations are necessary for verification of these results.
As Dr. Sarkar, the astrophysics lecturer at Cardiff University, and member of the team stated, “The K2-18b could possess oceans with extraterrestrial life, but we don’t know for sure yet.”
Professor Madhusudhan is optimistic about achieving definitive results: “I can realistically say that we can confirm this signal within one to two years.”
Once confirmed, the discovery of alien life on this planet would have vast implications for our understanding of life in the universe, hinting at the possibility of life being a common phenomenon throughout our galaxy and perhaps further afield.
