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- K2-18b Secret: Is the Signature of Life in 2 Molecules?
K2-18b Secret: Is the Signature of Life in 2 Molecules?
Shocking discovery! Possible signs of life found on exoplanet K2-18b? New data from the James Webb telescope reveals 2 specific molecules in its atmosphere, hinting at Earth-like biological processes. Does this reignite the question of whether we are alone in the universe? Watch now and witness this historic discovery! #K218b #Exoplanet #Life #Space #JWST
Sources: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.12267
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Video Transcript
Greetings Wise Travelers, I am Suat Vurkan.
Today I invite you on a journey to the far reaches of our solar system, to those mysterious
worlds orbiting other stars, exoplanets.
We will focus particularly on a planet that has recently captured the attention of the
scientific world and us curious minds, K2-18b.
This planet orbits its star at such a distance that scientists call it the
habitable zone. What does this mean? It means that on this distant world, if its
atmosphere is
suitable, there could be liquid water oceans just like on Earth. Imagine, billions of light-years
away, perhaps a mysterious world covered in deep blue waters exists. This K2-18b has long been
under the lens of scientists. What do these distant lands look like? What is the structure
of its atmosphere.
And of course, the most crucial question, are we alone in this vast universe?
Could there be life on that planet?
In the recent past, thanks to one of humanity's most advanced space telescopes, the James
Webb Space Telescope, JWST, we captured the first clues about the atmosphere of this distant
planet.
planet. This telescope, like a miraculous eye reaching into the depths of the universe,
offered us the opportunity to examine the light coming from K2-18b and unravel its secrets.
The initial information obtained showed the presence of water vapor, H2O, along with carbon
containing molecules like methane, CH4, and carbon dioxide, CO2, in the planet's atmosphere.
These findings strengthen the idea that K2-18b resembles an intriguing type of planet called
a Hycian world.
Hycian worlds have the potential to possess a hydrogen H2 rich atmosphere and oceans covering
the entire planet.
This opens a brand new page in our search for habitable environments.
Now, we come to a discovery that will truly leave us speechless and deeply shake us.
Grand new observations made with the James Webb's mid-infrared instrument, MIRI, have
revealed even more surprising and exciting information about the atmosphere of K2-18b.
Scientists detected distinct features in this new spectrum that were not even predicted
before. And guess what? These features could not be explained by most of the molecules expected
for K2-18b. However, two molecules showed a surprising match with these new findings.
Dimethyl sulfide, DMS, and dimethyl disulfide, DMDS. These names might sound foreign to you
at first, but these molecules actually have such a common feature that it adds a whole
new dimension to the question of whether we are alone in this universe.
Dear travelers, do you know what the most important source of these two molecules is
on Earth?
Think for a moment.
Yes, you guessed it right.
Life.
Especially microorganisms in the oceans.
DMS is a gas produced by some algae and bacteria.
DMDS is also closely associated with similar biological processes.
So, we have obtained new and independent evidence for the presence of these molecules in the
atmosphere of K2-18b, and in significant amounts.
This is a completely new finding for scientists and offers a brand new perspective on the
data obtained previously.
A low probability hint of DMS in the K2-18b atmosphere had been found before, but these
These new MIRI observations place this possibility on a much stronger footing.
Now, some of you might rightly have a question in mind.
