Researchers have identified a significant likelihood of life existing on a planet located 700 trillion miles from Earth.
A group of British scientists recently revealed that they have potentially found the most compelling evidence yet for life on an exoplanet, specifically on the planet K2-18b.
K2-18b is situated approximately 120 light-years away from Earth and is three times the size of our planet.
This planet lies within the habitable zone of its star, which implies it possesses a suitable temperature range for liquid water to exist on its surface.
According to a study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, K2-18b could be classified as a Hycean world. This categorization suggests it has the potential for habitability due to its water presence and a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, which is certainly an encouraging prospect.
Astronomers at the University of Cambridge in the UK have reported discovering potential biosignatures, indicating signs of past or present life associated with biological activity.
The team utilized data from NASA’s James Webb Telescope, which detected ‘chemical fingerprints of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and/or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS)’.
On Earth, DMS and DMDS are produced solely by life forms, primarily from microbial sources such as marine phytoplankton. This explains the excitement surrounding this discovery.
Professor Nikku Madhusudhan, from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy and the lead researcher, 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.”
Although this represents a significant scientific breakthrough, the researchers remain cautious and plan to conduct further investigations.
“We didn’t know for sure whether the signal we saw last time was due to DMS, but just the hint of it was exciting enough for us to have another look with JWST using a different instrument,” Professor Madhusudhan added.
Despite the cautious approach, the team is optimistic about the findings.
Contrary to the typical image of aliens, scientists suggest that any life forms on the distant planet would appear quite different.
Dr. Arik Kershenbaum, a zoologist from the University of Cambridge and author of The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy, told MailOnline that life on K2-18b would likely be very simple in form.
He elaborated: “Even if there is an ocean on this planet it’s going to look more like what Earth looked like three or four billion years ago when life first evolved.”
“So, one thing we can say pretty confidently is that the vast majority of planets that have any sort of life on them are going to have simple life on them.”
Dr. Kershenbaum continued: “By simple I just mean simple interactions and a very simple ecosystem. So, you might have organisms that capture light from the star like plants do on our planet and then, as they die and sink down in the water there might be some organisms that eat the dead creatures.”
“That’s probably what life was like on Earth around two billion years ago.”
Astronomer Michael Garrett, a professor at Manchester University, also theorized that if K2-18b’s star is a red dwarf, then life forms on the planet might possess eyes that are ‘much more sensitive and larger than ours’.