Experts have shared insights on possible life forms on the exoplanet K2-18b.
Recently, it was revealed that scientists might have discovered the most compelling evidence yet for biological activity beyond our solar system.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge in the UK utilized NASA’s James Webb Telescope data to identify “chemical fingerprints of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and/or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS).”
For those not versed in science, DMS and DMDS are compounds typically produced by living organisms, sparking considerable interest due to their detection.
K2-18b is an exoplanet situated 120 light-years from Earth and is about three times larger than our home planet.
Although this discovery is significant, scientists are continuing their investigations with a cautious approach.
“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,” stated Professor Nikku Madhusudhan from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy, who spearheaded the study.
Nevertheless, they hold an optimistic outlook.
“Earlier theoretical work had predicted that high levels of sulfur-based gases like DMS and DMDS are possible on Hycean worlds,” Madhusudhan continued. “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.”
Following the announcement, other experts have speculated on what life could be like on K2-18b.
In an interview with Mail Online, Dr. Arik Kershenbaum, a zoologist from the University of Cambridge and author of The Zoologists Guide to the Galaxy, suggested that life on this distant exoplanet would be vastly different from that on present-day Earth.
“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,” he explained.
“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.”
Kershenbaum elaborated: “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.”
Manchester University astronomer Michael Garrett added that if K2-18b receives light from a red dwarf star, life forms on the planet might have eyes that are “much more sensitive and larger than ours.”