James Webb Telescope Detects Possible Signs of Life on Distant Planet

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has found potential evidence of life on the distant planet K2-18b, about 700 trillion miles from Earth, Anadolu Agency reported. A Cambridge University team led by Prof. Nikku Madhusudhan detected molecules in the planet’s atmosphere that on Earth are produced by simple organisms like marine phytoplankton and bacteria.

Though promising, the findings—published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters—require more data for confirmation. Current confidence stands at 99.7%, below the near-100% certainty needed to confirm life. The team expects to confirm the signal within one to two years.

Experts caution that even with high certainty, the molecules’ origin could be geological rather than biological. The discovery marks a significant step in the search for extraterrestrial life and may be a tipping point in answering whether we are alone in the universe.