Scientists Find Promising Indication of Extraterrestrial Life—124 Light-Years Away
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Summary
The James Webb Space Telescope has provided strong evidence of the existence of life on K2-18b, an exoplanet124 light years away from Earth.
The research found evidence of molecules that on Earth are only produced by microbial life, leading scientists to postulate that these molecules are evidence of life on the exoplanet.
While the findings are encouraging, the scientists also noted that these molecules could be the result of an unknown chemical process that is not connected to life.
K2-18b, orbiting a red dwarf star in the Leo Constellation, is 8.6 times the mass of the Earth and nearly three times its size and is thought to possess a hydrogen-rich atmosphere with oceans that could support microbial life.
This exoplanet is the prototype Hycean planet, a new classification of planets thought to be capable of supporting marine life.
