Astronomers have found One of the most promising indications that there could be an extraterrestrial life on another planet. With the help of James Webb space telescopeThe researchers have detected what they believe could be biosignatures of marine microorganisms on K2-18B, a exoplanet Located in the habitable area of its star parent at 124 light years.
According to research led by the University of Cambridge, the team has detected traces of dimethyle sulfide (DMS) and Dimethyle disulfide (DMD) in the atmosphere of the planet. On Earth, these compounds are only produced by microbial lifespan such as phytoplankton.
Scientists admit that these substances may have been produced on the planet by an unknown chemical process unrelated to microorganisms. However, they also emphasize that data represent the strongest evidence to date for a possible life on a planet other than ours. The results were published in the scientific journal Astrophysical newspaper letters.
K2-18B is 8.6 times the mass of the earth and almost three times its size. It is in the direction of the constellation Leo and orbit a small star at low temperature called red dwarf. The planet is very close to its star – it only takes 33 days to finish an orbit, but due to the low temperature of the red dwarf, the planet is in a area of space which, in theory, makes it possible to exist liquid water on its surface.
This exoplanet is one of the main potential examples of a hyance planet, a theoretical class of worlds characterized by large liquid oceans and an atmosphere rich in hydrogen. According to astrobiologists, the discovery of a planet Hyancea would represent one of the best opportunities to find extraterrestrial life.
This is not the first time that K2-18B has attracted the attention of astronomers. In 2023, the same team of scientists found methane and carbon dioxide in its atmosphere. It was the first time that carbon -based molecules have been discovered on a planet in a habitable area of space. The researchers also identified diffuse signals at the time which seemed to be able to be dimethyl sulfide. And so two years later, the team took another look at the promising planet.
“We did not know with certainty if the signal that we saw the last time was due to the DMS, but just the suspicion was exciting enough for us to look at another look with JWST using a different instrument,” said Nikku Madhusudhan, the scientist who led research, in a press release.
“Previous theoretical works had predicted that high levels of sulfur gas like the DMS and the DMDs are possible on the Hyceens worlds. And now we have observed it, in accordance with what was planned. Since everything we know on this planet, a hycean world with an ocean that is teeming with the lifespan is the scenario that has the best of the data we have, “said Madhusudhan.
This story originally appeared on Cable in Spanish and was translated from Spanish.
