Okay, so get this: scientists might have found, like, an actual sign of life on a planet that’s super far away—like, 120 light-years far. It’s called K2-18b (ugh, could they have picked a cuter name?), and it’s chilling in the constellation Lyra, right in its star’s habitable zone. Translation? It’s not too hot, not too cold—just right for maybe, possibly, supporting life!
So here’s the tea: researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope—aka the universe’s best beauty filter—detected a molecule called dimethyl sulfide, or DMS for short. On Earth, the only thing that makes this stuff is, like, living creatures. Mostly teeny ocean plankton. Isn’t that, like, wild?
“This is the first time we’ve seen DMS outside our solar system,” said Dr. Nikku Madhusudhan, who’s basically the Regina George of exoplanet research. “We’re not saying it’s aliens or anything, but like… it could be.”
K2-18b is what the smart people call a “Hycean planet,” which is just a fancy way of saying it’s a water world with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere. Kinda like if Earth and Neptune had a baby? Scientists used to think these were, like, totally unlivable, but now they’re all, “Wait, maybe this is where the alien party’s at.”
Besides DMS, they also found methane and carbon dioxide, which could mean there’s, like, actual oceans under the clouds. Like, hello Atlantis vibes?
But hold up—don’t start packing your space bags just yet. Dr. Sara Seager from MIT was like, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, babes.” She says we need way more data before we can drop the L-word. (That’s “life,” not “love,” though same energy.)
Still, this is, like, major. The next step? More telescope time, and future missions like Europe’s super-glam Ariel telescope are going to totally stalk this planet and see what’s up.
So, are we alone in the universe? Honestly? Maybe not. And that is, like, so exciting. 💫
XOXO,
Valley Girl News
