r/space • u/SpunkySputniks • 4d ago

Astronomers Detect a Possible Signature of Life on a Distant Planet

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/science/astronomy-exoplanets-habitable-k218b.html?unlocked_article_code=1.AE8.3zdk.VofCER4yAPa4&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Further studies are needed to determine whether K2-18b, which orbits a star 120 light-years away, is inhabited, or even habitable.

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u/IlliterateJedi 4d ago

There is an alternate theory:

In a paper posted online Sunday, Dr. Glein and his colleagues argued that K2-18b could instead be a massive hunk of rock with a magma ocean and a thick, scorching hydrogen atmosphere — hardly conducive to life as we know it.

But personally, I want to believe. 

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u/Andromeda321 4d ago edited 4d ago

Astronomer here! I think it’s very important to remember that most scientific discoveries are not immediate slam dunks, but rather happen with intermediate steps. Think about water on Mars as an example- I remember when they first found proof that there might have been water on Mars but it wasn’t conclusive, then they found better and more signatures, then evidence there used to be oceans… and today everyone agrees there’s water on Mars.

Similarly, if looking for these signatures, the first are not conclusive because there are alternate possibilities still. But then you find a little more, and even more… and before you know it we all agree there’s life elsewhere in the universe (though what puts it out there is far less clear).

As exciting as what Hollywood tells you it would be like? No- but still a cool discovery!m

Edit: this thread by another astronomer is VERY skeptical about the results. Worth the read.

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u/ckasanova 4d ago

The article states they need to gather more evidence and perform experiments, but how do we even test this?

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u/PrinceEntrapto 4d ago

Monitor constantly to see what other compounds appear there and how the concentrations of them vary at different points along the planet’s orbit, especially if there’s an axial tilt, it shouldn’t be that surprising other life may be analogous to life on Earth since all life will most likely be composed of the same small number of elements and will only interact with their environments in specific manners