Scientist find strong evidence of alien life on faraway planet
A team at the University of Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy made the discovery while studying the atmosphere of K2-18 b, a planet orbiting a dwarf star in the constellation Leo, about 124 lightyears away. Their efforts uncovered the distinct molecular profiles of gases — dimethyl sulfide, or DMS, and dimethyl disulfide, or DMDS — that on Earth are generated by living organisms, suggesting the potential presence of microbial life, researchers said.
Astrophysicist Nikku Madhusudhan called his team's discovery 'astounding,' but he also emphasized that they still need more evidence to be sure. He told the BBC that scientists intend to confirm what they've found in the near future, hopefully within the next couple years.
'These are the first hints we are seeing of an alien world that is possibly inhabited,' he told reporters in a press briefing. 'This is a revolutionary moment.'
Scientists researching the same planet, which is smaller than Neptune but bigger than Earth, previously detected methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. They also reported the presence of dimethyl sulfide, a sulfur-based molecule that can similarly be interpreted as an indicator of life.
'This is a transformational moment in the search for life beyond the solar system, where we have demonstrated that it is possible to detect biosignatures in potentially habitable planets with current facilities,' Madhusudhan said, per Reuters. 'We have entered the era of observational astrobiology,'
He added that similar searches for signs of life are also underway in our solar system, including on Mars and Venus.
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Scientific American
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On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. And the latest Wendelstein result, while promising, has now been countered by British researchers. They say the large Joint European Torus (JET) fusion reactor near Oxford, England, achieved even longer containment times of up to 60 seconds in final experiments before its retirement in December 2023. These results have been kept quiet until now but are due to be published in a scientific journal soon. According to a press release from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Germany, the as yet unpublished data make the Wendelstein and JET reactors 'joint leaders' in the scientific quest to continually operate a fusion reactor at extremely high temperatures. 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