Astronomers say they have found the strongest indication of life beyond our solar system, on a planet 124 light-years from Earth called ‘K2-18b

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A planet located 124 light years from Earth has provided the most compelling evidence yet that extraterrestrial life could exist beyond our solar system, according to astronomers.Using the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists observed a planet known as K2-18 b and detected what appear to be chemical signatures of two compounds—dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS)—that, on Earth, are only known to be produced by living organisms.The presence of these chemicals does not confirm alien life, but it significantly advances the search for life beyond Earth.“This is the strongest evidence to date for biological activity outside the solar system,” said Professor Nikku Madhusudhan, an astrophysicist at the University of Cambridge who led the study. “We’re being very cautious. We have to question both whether the signal is real and what it could mean.”He continued, “Years from now, we may look back and recognize this as the moment when the idea of a living universe became within reach. This could be the turning point—where the question of whether we’re alone becomes something we’re finally able to answer.”Not everyone is convinced, however. There are still doubts about whether K2-18 b has the right conditions to support life and whether DMS and DMDS—which on Earth are largely produced by oceanic phytoplankton—are reliable indicators of biological activity on other planets.K2-18 b, located in the constellation Leo, is nearly nine times the mass of Earth and 2.6 times its size. It orbits within the habitable zone of a cool red dwarf star less than half the size of the sun. When the Hubble Space Telescope detected what appeared to be water vapor in its atmosphere in 2019, the planet was called “the most habitable known world” outside our solar system.Later observations by Madhusudhan’s team in 2023 revealed the signal was methane rather than water, but they maintained that K2-18 b still fit the profile of a potentially habitable planet, possibly covered by a vast ocean—a theory that remains under debate. Intriguingly, the team also reported a faint sign of DMS.Although planets this distant can’t be directly imaged or visited, scientists can study their atmospheres by watching how light from their host star changes as the planet passes in front of it. In this case, certain wavelengths—those absorbed by DMS and DMDS—dropped sharply as K2-18 b crossed its star.“The signal came through strong and clear,” Madhusudhan said. “If we can detect these molecules on habitable planets, this would be the first time in human history we’ve done that … it’s astonishing that it’s even possible.”The findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, suggest DMS and DMDS may be present at concentrations thousands of times higher than on Earth. The statistical confidence of the findings—known as “three-sigma”—means there’s a 0.3% chance the result is a fluke, although it does not meet the gold standard for confirmation in physics.