Might alien life be hiding simply 120 light-years away? That’s the query raised by a brand new research led by Professor Nikku Madhusudhan of the College of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy. Revealed on April 16, 2025, in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the analysis follows observations from NASA’s James Webb Area Telescope, which detected key molecules within the environment of K2-18b — an exoplanet orbiting a distant star within the constellation Leo.
Discover out extra about K2-18b and what these new findings may imply for the seek for extraterrestrial life under.
What Is K2-18b?
K2-18b is an exoplanet situated about 120 light-years from Earth within the constellation Leo. It was found in 2015 by NASA’s Kepler mission, which revealed that planets past our photo voltaic system are so frequent, they really outnumber stars.
Roughly between the scale of Earth and Neptune, K2-18b orbits throughout the liveable zone of its star — the area the place circumstances may enable liquid water to exist. It’s labeled as a “Hycean” planet, a comparatively new class believed to have hydrogen-rich atmospheres and international oceans, making them sturdy candidates within the seek for extraterrestrial life.
Might There Be Alien Life on K2-18b?
Presumably — and scientists are intrigued.
In 2023, NASA’s James Webb Area Telescope detected carbon-bearing molecules comparable to methane and carbon dioxide within the environment of K2-18b, each thought of potential indicators of organic processes. Extra just lately, the brand new research led by Dr. Madhusudhan reported the detection of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) — compounds that, on Earth, are produced solely by dwelling organisms like marine phytoplankton.
Whereas the findings are removed from confirming alien life, they recommend that K2-18b might have the appropriate substances for habitability. “It’s in nobody’s curiosity to assert prematurely that we’ve got detected life,” mentioned Dr. Madhusudhan at a press briefing on April 15. Nonetheless, he expressed cautious pleasure, including, “These are the primary hints we’re seeing of an alien world that’s presumably inhabited. This can be a revolutionary second. It’s the primary time humanity has seen potential biosignatures on a liveable planet.”
Is There Life Elsewhere within the Universe?
We don’t know for certain, however the odds are compelling. With billions of galaxies, every containing billions of stars and planets, most scientists consider it’s statistically doubtless that life exists someplace past Earth.
