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Carbon-based molecules found on ‘water world’ exoplanet

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Could this ‘water world’ host life?
Cambridge astronomers have used data from the James Webb Space Telescope to discover methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of K2-18 b, a ‘Hycean’ exoplanet with an ocean surface beneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere. This is the first time that carbon-based molecules have been discovered in the atmosphere of an exoplanet in the habitable zone.

The researchers also identified another, weaker, signal in the K2-18 b atmosphere, which could be caused by a molecule called dimethyl sulphide (DMS). On Earth, DMS is only produced by life, primarily microbial life such as marine phytoplankton, suggesting the possibility of biological activity on K2-18 b. While these signs of DMS are tentative and require further validation, the researchers say that K2-18 b and other Hycean planets could be our best chance to find life outside our Solar System.

Image credits: ESA, NASA, Hycean planet - Credit: Amanda Smith
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Academic
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Cambridge University, Cambridge research, Carbon-based molecules found on ‘water world’ exop
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