Alien life signature 'found' on mysterious ocean world 120-light-years from Earth
Scientists have discovered what they believe to be the strongest signature yet of alien life on a distant planet 120 light years from Earth.Astronomers at the University of Cambridge say they are 99.7 per cent confident they've detected a biosignature of biological activity on K2-18b, a planet in the constellation of Leo.The discovery, made using the James Webb Space Telescope, has been described as potentially "one of the biggest landmarks in the history of science."K2-18b is what scientists call a "Hycean world" - a planet covered in oceans with a thick hydrogen atmosphere. It's approximately 2.5 times the size of Earth and 8.6 times more massive.Astronomers at the University of Cambridge said the breakthrough was potentially one of the most importantWikICommonsResearchers believe the planet may be "teeming with life" in its vast oceans, which could be slightly warmer than Earth's.The planet orbits a red dwarf star in what astronomers call the habitable zone, where liquid water can exist.A year on K2-18b lasts just 33 days, as it orbits much closer to its star than Earth does to the Sun.The astronomers detected dimethyl sulphide (DMS) and dimethyl disulphide (DMDS) in K2-18b's atmosphere - molecules that on Earth are only produced by living organisms, primarily marine phytoplankton.LATEST DEVELOPMENTSA full scale model of the James Webb Space TelescopeGettyThese chemical signatures were found at concentrations thousands of times higher than in Earth's atmosphere - more than 10 parts per million compared to one part per billion on Earth.The detection was made using two different instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope, providing independent lines of evidence.Scientists say there is no known non-biological process that could explain the presence of these molecules at such high levels.Lead scientist Professor Nikku Madhusudhan said "there is no mechanism in the literature that can explain what we are seeing without life...This is a transformational moment in the search for life beyond the solar system."Professor Madhusudhan said: "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."He added: "It's a question humanity has been asking for thousands of years. It's a shock to the system. It takes time to recover from the enormity of it."Despite the confidence in their findings, the scientists emphasise that more work is needed to confirm the discovery.The current certainty level is three-sigma (99.7 per cent), but researchers want to reach five-sigma (99.9994 per cent) to declare a definitive discovery.
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