A team of scientists led by Indian-British astrophysicist Dr Nikku Madhusudan has achieved major success by discovering the evidence of biological activity on an exoplanet. The exoplanet named K2-18B is located 120 light years away from Earth. The team detected dimethyl sulfide, a molecule composed of sulfur, carbon and hydrogen, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The molecule is linked to life as, on Earth, it is produced by living organisms like marine algae.
Dr Madhusudan said that he was surprised by how much dimethyl sulfide gas was detected during a single observation window. “The amount we estimate of this gas in the atmosphere is thousands of times higher than what we have on Earth,” he said. The scientist added, “If we confirm that there is life on K2-18b, it should basically confirm that life is very common in the galaxy.”
However, the Cambridge team and independent astronomers stress that more data is needed to confirm these results. Madhusudan said, “This is the strongest evidence yet there is possibly life out there. I can realistically say that we can confirm this signal within one to two years.”
Dr Subir Sarkar, astrophysics and part of the team, said the research suggests the planet K2-18D could have an ocean that could be potentially full of life.
However, this discovery is not conclusive evidence that there is life on the planet, as the gas could be produced by non-biological activities too. Moreover, the scientists need to be sure that the results of the study are correct. K2-18b remains a special attraction for researchers are earlier water vapour was detected on the planet.
Dr Madhusudhan is a professor of Exoplanetary studies at the University of Cambridge. In 1980, he completed his graduation from IIT BHU, Varanasi. He obtained his Master’s and Ph.D. in planetary science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. Dr Madhusudhan is known for introducing the concept of ‘Hycean planets’. These are planets that are ocean-covered and have hydrogen-rich atmospheres. Such a combination on a planet is considered conducive for life.
K2-18b exoplanet
It is a sub-Neptune exoplanet which is smaller in size than Neptune but larger than Earth. The exoplanet discovered in 2017 orbits a cool dwarf located 120 light years away from the Earth.
