Tentative Evidence of Life Found On Faraway Planet, Says NASA

In a groundbreaking revelation, scientists have disclosed the presence of a rare water ocean on a massive exoplanet located numerous light years from Earth.

According to a new investigation with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope into K2-18 b, an exoplanet 8.6 times as massive as Earth, the presence of carbon-bearing molecules, including methane and carbon dioxide, has been revealed.

Webb's discovery adds to recent studies suggesting that K2-18 b could be a Hycean exoplanet, one that has the potential to possess a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and an ocean-covered surface.

K2-18 b is situated within the habitable zone of a cool dwarf star known as K2-18, located approximately 120 light years away from Earth within the Leo constellation. These exoplanets, falling in size between Earth and Neptune, are not a part of our solar system, leading to ongoing discussions and research among scientists regarding their unique characteristics.

"The abundance of methane and carbon dioxide and shortage of ammonia support the hypothesis that there may be a water ocean underneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere in K2-18 b. These initial Webb observations also provided a possible detection of a molecule called dimethyl sulphide (DMS). On Earth, this is only produced by life. The bulk of the DMS in Earth's atmosphere is emitted from phytoplankton in marine environments," the Nasa press release said.

Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge and lead author of the study, said: "Our findings underscore the importance of considering diverse habitable environments in the search for life elsewhere. Traditionally, the search for life on exoplanets has focused primarily on smaller rocky planets, but the larger Hycean worlds are significantly more conducive to atmospheric observations."

The exoplanet K2-18 b was initially discovered in 2015 as part of NASA's K2 mission. However, thanks to the advanced technology of the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb), scientists have recently had the opportunity to conduct a more detailed study of this exoplanet, which orbits a star outside of our solar system.