Researchers have for a longer time been interested in the planet K2-18b, where the conditions for life seem promising. Previously, methane and carbon dioxide have been detected in the atmosphere, and with the help of data from the space-based James Webb telescope, a group of researchers believe they have now found evidence of the presence of two chemicals that can be signs of life.
The chemicals, dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide, are so-called biomarkers and can on Earth only be created by life, primarily microscopic marine algae.
Skepticism
However, the researchers are not ready to conclude that they can prove the existence of life on planet K2-18b. And the discovery has already sparked a lively debate and been met with some skepticism from other space researchers.
The Swedish astrophysicist Måns Holmberg at the University of Cambridge, who is participating in the project, also cautions against drawing too far-reaching conclusions.
We must be cautious. I want to emphasize that. It takes a lot to be able to conclude that there is life on another planet, and I don't think we're there yet, he says to the American radio channel NPR.
"Far-reaching"
K2-18b was discovered in 2015 and is two and a half times larger than Earth. The planet orbits a dwarf star about 124 light-years from Earth, in an area where the temperature is perfect for life. Several researchers have put forward the theory that K2-18b is completely covered in water, the most important condition for life to emerge.
Even if it is not possible to prove that they have actually found life in the universe, the research leader Nikku Madhusudhan describes the new observations as "something enormous".
It could be one of the greatest discoveries in scientific history, and I know it may sound far-reaching, which is not my intention, but there is no other way to describe it, he says to NPR.
