Scientists have found the strongest evidence yet of potential life beyond our solar system. Using the James Webb Space Telescope

Scientists have found the strongest evidence yet of potential life beyond our solar system.

 

 

Scientists have found the strongest evidence yet of potential life beyond our solar system.

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers from the University of Cambridge detected chemical traces of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b. On Earth, these gases are only produced by living organisms, especially microscopic marine life.

 

While this doesn't confirm alien life, it's a big step forward in the search for biosignatures. The detection has a three-sigma statistical significance — meaning there's just a 0.3% chance it happened by coincidence. More research could push these findings closer to scientific proof.

 

K2-18b is a Hycean world — a planet covered in oceans and wrapped in a hydrogen-rich atmosphere — located 124 light-years away in its star’s habitable zone. Earlier studies had already spotted methane and carbon dioxide there. Now, the discovery of DMS and DMDS at unusually high levels adds to the excitement.

 

Scientists warn that unknown chemical processes might also explain the findings, and more data is needed. Still, this could be a game-changing moment in the search for life in the universe.