The planet has led to a number of research scientists on the existence of life beyond the earth Secrets Of the universe – from identifying methane Marte The presence of phosphine is also a kind of toxic chemical compound in Venus clouds.
So far, there are no evidence Terra Share cosmos with another form of life.
Now, a group of US scientists have found the most reliable evidence to date Terra -Matt is not in our solar system, but on a large planet called K2-18B, it revolves around a star about 120 light years away. The study was published in Wednesday, Wednesday, Astrophysical Journal.
The new analysis of the atmosphere of this Explanet indicates a significant presence of a molecule, which is produced exclusively by organisms such as seaweed.
However, Madhusudhan, one of the authors of the Cambridge University Astronomy Institute and research, is now in the process of not proving life in K2-18B. “No one is interested in anyone who claims to have recognized life,” said an expert at a 15 press conference on Tuesday.
A group of scientists found that this Explanet was covered by the hot ocean, which could have a life as we know. “This is a revolutionary moment. This is the first time that humanity has been watching potential bio -ashes on the planet.”
Other researchers, on the other hand, believe that this is the first step to understand what K2-18B lives. But they don’t want to make big resolutions. “This is nothing. It is just a track. But we cannot conclude that it is residential,” said Stephen Schmith, a planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins University.
The evidence of life
Canadian astronomers discovered K2-18B in 2017 during observations with Terrestrial Telescope in Chile.
These planets are also nicknamed SubnetunosThey are larger than the stone planets of our solar system, but smaller than the Neptune and other gas -dominated planets.
In 2021, Dr. Madhusudhan and his colleagues proposed that the subnets were covered with hot water oceans and wrapped in an environment containing hydrogen, methane and other carbon compounds. To describe these strange planets, they used a new word “Hydrogen” and “Ocean” from the combination of the words “Haisian”.
Initialization of James Web Space Telescope in December 2021 allowed astronomers to observe more closely Subnetunos And other distant planets. This device was able to detect the chemical composition of the distant planetary atmosphere, which was through the light crossing the small red star in the orbit.
The Cambridge University team recognizes the signs of at least one molecules associated with the life of the two molecules: Dimethyl sulfide. On earth, these materials are mainly produced Bacteria And the oceans are phytoplancton.
When an Explanet goes in front of its host star, its atmosphere (if any) shines. Their gases actually change the color of the starlite that reaches the web telescope. In analyzing these changes in wavelengths, scientists can understand the chemical composition of the atmosphere.
On earth, some forms of seaweed produce compound, which spreads through the air and contributes to the smell of the properties of the sea. A long time before experimenting Telescope WebResearchers were surprised that dimethyl sulfide would be a symbol of life on other planets.
Last year, Madhusudhan and his colleagues got a second chance for Dymetila sulfide. Although K2-18B was in front of their star in front of their star, they used a different device on the web telescope to analyze the starlite that passed through the planet’s atmosphere. This time they looked at a more strong sulfide signal of dimethyl, called dimethyl dyesalfide with a similar molecule.
“We spent a lot of time to escape a shock and signal to the system,” the scientist said at a press conference.
They conclude that the K2-18B actually has a heavy dimethyl sulfide supply in its environment, thousands of times more than the level of the earth. This indicates that the oceans of this Explanet are full of life.
Conflict over the study
According to the newspaper New York TimesAfter the study study, other researchers competed for Cambridge scientists’ theories and insisted that there were many research. Another question to be resolved is that K2-18B is actually a A residential planet As the Madhusudhan team says, if it really has oceans.
On the other hand, if there is an alien life in K28B, or elsewhere, it will take time to verify your invention. “If we don’t see an etring waving, it’s not complete proof,” said the asteroid scientist Christopher Glen at the southwest research organization in San Antonio, TexasTo the American newspaper.
