Life-Producing Molecule Possibly Found on Planet 120 Light Years Away
NASA has potentially detected a life-forming molecule on a planet that is roughly 120 light-years away. Planet K2-18b may contain dimethyl sulphide (DMS), a molecule that only life can produce on Earth, according to BBC…
NASA has potentially detected a life-forming molecule on a planet that is roughly 120 light-years away.
Planet K2-18b may contain Dimethyl sulphide (DMS), a molecule that only life can produce on Earth, according to BBC News.
This was discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope, and scientists have stated that more data needs to be collected as the current evidence is “not robust.”
K2-18b does have a water ocean. Methane and CO2 have been found in the planet’s atmosphere.
University of Cambridge professor Nikku Madhusudhan noted, “On Earth, DMS is only produced by life.”
“The bulk of it in Earth’s atmosphere is emitted from phytoplankton in marine environments,” he went on.
“If confirmed, it would be a huge deal and I feel a responsibility to get this right if we are making such a big claim,” he added.
K2-18b is about nine times the size of Earth and is considered a rocky planet. It is unlike the Earth and other planets within Earth’s solar system.