A planet with evidence of extraterrestrial life has been found

Researchers have found the planet with the clearest sign so far of extraterrestrial life, The New York Times reports.

On the planet K2-18b, which orbits a star 120 light-years from Earth, they found a molecule that has only one known source on Earth: living organisms such as seaweed.

“No one is interested in prematurely claiming that we have discovered life,” said Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge and an author of the new study.

Still, he said, the best explanation for his group’s observations is that K2-18b is covered by a warm ocean full of life.

“This is a revolutionary moment. This is the first time humanity has seen potential biosignatures on a habitable planet,” Madhusudhan said at a press conference.

Scientists consider these findings as the strongest evidence to date for the existence of extraterrestrial life.

The planet K2-18b is much larger than Earth – it is 8.6 times larger – and orbits a red dwarf.

Its surface, as scientists believe, is covered with a watery ocean, and the atmosphere is rich in hydrogen.

According to the researchers, it is a so-called Hycean-world – a category of exoplanets that combines a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and conditions suitable for life.

At the same time, scientists refrain from drawing final conclusions.

So far, there is no known abiogenic (i.e., non-biological) process that could have formed the detected compounds in such quantities.

However, the team is continuing to investigate to rule out any other possible explanations.

Planet K2-18b first caught the attention of scientists in 2023 when the James Webb Telescope detected methane and carbon dioxide in its atmosphere – compounds that are basic markers of carbon-based life.