Possible hints of life found on distant planet – how excited should we be?

[Admin]

Data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has shown that an exoplanet around a star in the constellation Leo has some of the chemical markers that, on Earth, are associated with living organisms.

Possible hints of life found on distant planet – how excited should we be? : Read more

 

[Dave]

The exoplanet K2-18b is 8.6 times the mass of the earth.

 

[rod]

"The exoplanet K2-18b might host a water ocean."

Space.com reported this recently too.

Exoplanet's surface may be covered in oceans, James Webb Space Telescope finds

The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered that an exoplanet around twice the size of Earth that is already suspected of possessing a liquid water ocean has carbon-based molecules in its atmosphere. Exoplanet's surface may be covered in oceans, James Webb Space Telescope finds : Read more

forums.space.com

 

[rod]

Okay, I have been watching for follow up reports on K2-18 b. Here it is, perhaps not a hycean world with life but a lava world.

Is K2-18b covered in oceans of water or oceans of lava?, https://phys.org/news/2024-01-k2-18b-oceans-lava.html

Ref - Ref - Distinguishing oceans of water from magma on mini-Neptune K2-18b, https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.05864, 11-Jan-2024.

Reports like this for exoplanet studies IMO, raises questions about ET phoning home, buzzing the Earth, and came within about 35 pc to pick up Earth TV and radio signals that have been transmitting into space for about 100 years or so. Exoplanets so far, do not look to be earthlike, teeming with life.

 

[Aldebaran5]

Okay, I have been watching for follow up reports on K2-18 b. Here it is, perhaps not a hycean world with life but a lava world.

Is K2-18b covered in oceans of water or oceans of lava?, https://phys.org/news/2024-01-k2-18b-oceans-lava.html

Ref - Ref - Distinguishing oceans of water from magma on mini-Neptune K2-18b, https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.05864, 11-Jan-2024.

Reports like this for exoplanet studies IMO, raises questions about ET phoning home, buzzing the Earth, and came within about 35 pc to pick up Earth TV and radio signals that have been transmitting into space for about 100 years or so. Exoplanets so far, do not look to be earthlike, teeming with life.

I have never come across any anaerobic organism which produces DMS in large enough quantities, and if K2-18b were oxygen rich, it would be obvious from the Spectrum. On Earth, DMS is mainly associated with phytoplankton, which actually produce oxygen. So at this stage, it's an anomaly without an obvious explanation. We need to keep an open mind without jumping to headline inducing conclusions.

 

[Unclear Engineer]

We need to keep an open mind without jumping to headline inducing conclusions.

If there was nothing available to allow editors to jump to headline inducing conclusions, we wouldn't get a chance to read about it here.