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They’ve detected sulfur-based molecules in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b that, on Earth, are only produced by living organisms. While the evidence isn’t conclusive yet, it matches predictions for a “Hycean” world — one potentially covered in oceans and capable of hosting microbial life. If further observations confirm these findings, it could mark a turning point in our search for extraterrestrial life.
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One of the worlds in the TRAPPIST-1 system, a mere 40 light-years away, just might be clad in a life-supporting atmosphere.
In exciting new JWST observations, the Earth-sized exoplanet TRAPPIST-1e shows hints of a gaseous envelope similar to our own, one that could facilitate liquid water on the surface.
Although the detection is ambiguous and needs extensive follow-up to find out what the deal is, it's the closest astronomers have come yet in their quest to find a second Earth.
"TRAPPIST-1e remains one of our most compelling habitable-zone planets, and these new results take us a step closer to knowing what kind of world it is," says astronomer Sara Seager of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), co-author on one of two papers detailing the findings.
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