NASA discovers signs of life on a distant planet

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope may have discovered strong evidence of life on a distant planet.

According to NASA, the telescope may have detected dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a molecule produced only by living organisms.

The researchers confirm that monitoring this molecule, on a planet 120 light-years away, is “not strong” and more data is needed to confirm its existence.

The researchers also discovered methane and carbon dioxide in the planet’s atmosphere.

The discovery of these gases could mean that the planet, called K2-18b, has an ocean.

Professor Nico Madhusudan, from the University of Cambridge, who led the research, told the BBC that his entire team was “shocked” when they saw the results.

“On Earth, DMS is produced only by life. Most of it in Earth’s atmosphere is emitted by phytoplankton in marine environments,” the researcher said.

This is the first time that astronomers have discovered the possibility of a DMS on a distant planet. Researchers are treating the results with caution, after there was talk in 2020 about the presence of another molecule in the clouds of Venus, called phosphine, that could be produced by living organisms.

However, Dr. Robert Massey, deputy director of the Royal Astronomical Society in London, said he was excited by the results.

“We are slowly moving towards the point where we will be able to answer the big question of whether or not we are alone in the universe,” Robert Massey said.

“I am optimistic that we will find signs of life one day. Maybe so, maybe in 10 or even 50 years we will have convincing evidence that we are not alone in the universe,” adds the deputy director.