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Astronomers have discovered a major sign of life — and “the first hints… of an alien world” on a distant planet orbiting outside the solar system, according to a new report.
The scientists believe the exoplanet, K2-18b, is a “Hycean planet” — meaning it’s home to an abundance of a life-signifying molecules including one that is only produced on Earth by living organisms such as marine algae, according to a new report.
K2-18b — which is eight times the size of Earth and 124 light-years away — shows signs of the unique molecule dimethyl sulfide, according to a new study published in the Astrophysical Journal on Wednesday.
“This is a revolutionary moment,” Dr. Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge and author of the study, said at a news conference Tuesday, according to NPR.