by Astronomers announced on Thursday that they had discovered the most promising “indications” of potential life on a planet beyond our solar system, although other scientists expressed skepticism.
In scientific circles, it discussed energetic debates whether the planet K2-18bWhat is only slightly away in the Leo constellation could be an ocean world that organizes at least a microbial life.
Use the James Webb Space TelescopeA team of researchers from British-USA recognized signs of two chemicals in the atmosphere of the planet, which have long been regarded as “bisignatures”, which indicates an extraterrestrial lifespan.
On earth, the chemicals dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyldisulfide are only produced by life, mainly microscopic sea algae, which are called phytoplankton.
The researchers emphasized caution and said that further observations were necessary to confirm these results and that they did not announce any final discovery.
According to Nikku Madhusudhan, an astrophysicist and senior author of the study, which was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, the effects could be great.
Madhusudhan told BBC News, he hoped to get the clinching evidence soon.
“This is the strongest proof that there is, there may be life out there,” he said. “I can realistically say that we can confirm this signal within one to two years.”
The concept of an artist shows what exoplanet K2-18 B could look like on scientific data. The illustration was published on September 11, 2023.
However, expert experts pointed out on disputes about earlier discoveries on the exoplanet and added that these chemicals could be created by unknown means that has nothing to do with life.
“Goldillocks” zone
K2-18B is more than eight times as large as the earth and 2.5 times as large, and is rarely among the approximately 6,000 exoplanets that have been discovered so far, when its star circles in a habitable or “golden sock” zone.
This means that it is neither too hot nor too cold to have liquid water than the most important ingredient for life.
Telescopes observe such distant exoplanets when they cross in front of their star so that astronomers analyze how molecules block the light that streams through their atmosphere.
In 2023 the WebB telescope Methan and carbon dioxide detected In the atmosphere of K2-18B, such molecules on an exoplanet on an exoplanet in an habitable zone were found for the first time.
It also recognized weak signals from the chemical DMS and prompted astronomers to re -move Webb a year ago towards Planet, this time with its middle infrarot instrument in order to recognize different wavelengths of light.
They found much greater signs of chemicals, even though they are far below the “five -sig” stockings of statistical significance that scientists are looking for for such discoveries.
Even if the results are confirmed, this would not necessarily mean that the planet is life at home.
Last year, scientists found traces of DMS on a comet, which indicates that it can be produced in a non -organic manner and may not be a “bisignature”.
However, the concentration of chemicals observed on K2-18B seems to be a thousand times stronger than on earth, which probably indicates a biological origin, said Madhusudhan.
“Hellishly hot”
K2-18B has long been a leading candidate for A “Hycean Planet” -E ocean world that is larger than the earth with a hydrogen -rich atmosphere.
Hycean planets are covered with oceans similar to the earth and have atmospheres that are rich in hydrogen, an element that is essential for life. Many of the planets are larger and hotter than the earth – up to 2.6 – larger than our planet and reaches atmospheric temperatures up to almost 200 degrees Celsius or 392 degrees Fahrenheit.
A diagram shows the observed transmission spectrum of the Habitable Zone Exoplanet K2-18 B using the James Webb Space Telescope Miri spectrographer instrument. The vertical shows the proportion of the star light that is absorbed in the atmosphere of the planet due to molecules in its atmosphere. The data is displayed in the yellow circles with the 1-Sigma uncertainties. / Credit: University of Cambridge via Reuters
These planets would not be expected to live intelligent foreign life, but tiny microbes that are similar to those in the earth in billions of years ago.
“Hycean planets open up a completely new avenue elsewhere in our search for life,” said Madhusudhan before.
Some research has questioned whether the currently proposed Hycean planets are too close to their stars to support fluid water-in one thing K2-18b, which circulates its star every 33 days.
Raymond Pierrehumbert, a professor of planetary physics at the University of Oxford, has carried out separate studies that point out that K2-18B is too hot for life.
If the planet had water, it would be “hellishly hot” and uninhabitable, he said to AFP and added that Oceans from Lava were more plausible.
Sara Seaager, professor of planetary science, asked for patience and pointed out earlier water vapor standards in the atmosphere of K2-18B, which turned out to be another gas.
Madhusudhan estimated that it would only take 16 to 24 hours for webbs to reach the five-sigma threshold that could happen in the next few years.
The current three-sigm is comparable to the probability of turning a coin ten times and achieving the same result every time, explained the statistician from Cambridge University, Stephen Burgess.
Five Sigma would achieve this result after 20 flips and mean that “we can be very confident that this observation is not just a chance to find,” he said.
Even beyond K2-18b said Madhusudhan, Webb and future telescopes could enable humanity to discover life outside of our home planet earlier than one could think.
“This could be the turning point on which suddenly the basic question of whether we are alone in the universe is one that we can answer,” he said.
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