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#JWST

20 Beiträge15 Beteiligte0 Beiträge heute
Antwortete Sean Lynch
Öffentlich *
Florian Marquardt

@SeanPLynch From the paper
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.:

"It is widely recognized that the detection of a biosignature is unlikely to be instantaneous or unambiguous in the first instance, rather relying on continued accumulation of evidence..."

"Further work is needed to robustly verify the current findings. More observations are required to robustly demonstrate the repeatability of our present findings, rule out potentially unaccounted-for instrumental systematics, as well as increase the detection significances."

Somehow these (reasonable!) cautious remarks do not square so well with the grandiose-sounding statements of the lead author as quoted by NPR.

iopscience.iop.orgRadware Bot Manager Captcha
#k218b#JWST
Fortgeführter Thread
Öffentlich
Sean Lynch

Here's a link to a paper that shows we have detected dimethyl sulfide in comets, so we know that this can be produced without phytoplankton.

Still, a planet in the 'Goldilocks zone' with liquid water and an atmosphere opens up great possibilities for life to exist.

This definitely calls for a thorough review of the data and methods as well as follow up observations.
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.08724

#science#astronomy#JWST
Öffentlich
Sean Lynch

Great summary of the ** Possible ** detection of dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide in the atmosphere of a distant planet.

On Earth these gasses are exclusively produced by ocean plankton. The Planet is between Earth and Neptune in size and appears to have liquid water.

This is not a definite detection, and there could be non-biological ways to produce these gasses. (ie this has been seen in comets)

npr.org/2025/04/16/nx-s1-53648

#science#astronomy#JWST
Öffentlich *
Mark McCaughrean

The very definition of a clickbait headline.

If you read the article, you’ll soon discover that the only scientists “hailing” this result are the authors of the paper.

Everyone else interviewed for comment is way more sceptical.

A 3-sigma detection of dimethyl sulphide is interesting, if well below the significance used in particle physics, say.

But as others have said, it could readily have non-life origins too.

Caveat emptor.

theguardian.com/science/2025/a

A screenshot from the Guardian newspaper showing an artist impression of a blue exoplanet in space orbiting a red dwarf. The headline below reads: “Scientists hail ‘strongest evidence so far’ for life beyond our solar system”.
#SpaceScience#JWST
Öffentlich
Andy

#K218b #Space #Astronomy #Life #Earth #ExtraTerrestrialLife #JWST #Telescope #SpaceTelescope #CambridgeUniversity #NASA #Planets #Planets #SpaceTravel #Science
Just a follow up on the article from the BBC I posted earlier today. It contains a few small updates regarding current and imminent space missions, and our ongoing search for extraterrestrial life. “Dragonfly” sounds very interesting, as do the missions to Europa…
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8jwj

Two treated images, one of someone with thumb up towards a second image of a James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam Image of the “Cosmic Cliffs” in Carina Nebula
BBC NewsThe truth about life on other planets and what it means for EarthCould discoveries of alien life ever change the human psyche in how we view ourselves and each other?
Öffentlich *
Andy

#K218b #Space #Astronomy #Life #Earth #ExtraTerrestrialLife #JWST #Telescope #SpaceTelescope #CambridgeUniversity #NASA #Planets #Planets #SpaceTravel #Science
Very interesting, but don’t build your hopes up we’ll ever get there. The fastest thing we’ve currently built is the Parker Solar Probe, which travels around 430,000mph. To travel 700 trillion miles at the same speed, we’re talking around 186,000 years…

Telescope finds promising hints of life on distant planet bbc.com/news/articles/c39jj9vk

Blue planet in the Foreground orbiting a small red star
www.bbc.comScientists find promising hints of life on distant planet K2-18bScientists find new but tentative evidence that a faraway world orbiting another star may be home to life.
Öffentlich
CosmicRami

You may have seen headlines today - such as in The New York Times - suggesting the possible detection of a biosignature on an exoplanet. It’s an exciting prospect, no doubt. But it’s also an extraordinary claim, and as the saying goes, "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" (Carl Sagan).

While the molecule in question is associated with biological processes, it’s important to note that non-biological (abiotic) pathways for its formation exist as well (see: Reed et al. 2024 ApJL; Sanz-Novo et al. 2025 ApJL). These results are interesting, but far from conclusive.

Scientists work within a robust framework to test such claims. This includes:

- Peer review and replication
- Community feedback and critique
- Cross-validation through multiple instruments and techniques
- Avoiding sensationalism in science communication
- Building consensus through sustained investigation

I am looking forward to hearing more from the exoplanet and astrobiology communities on these findings before drawing conclusions.

In the meantime, the ripple effect of bold headlines - like "Possible Signs of Extraterrestrial Life" - has already begun. A friend at the dentist this morning spotted a very misleading headline about this on Channel 9 News!

This is where science communication becomes critical: managing public interest and excitement without compromising scientific accuracy.

We should use moments like these to show the process - how scientific ideas are proposed, tested, debated, and refined - to broader audiences. Whether we’re talking about space, climate change, or pandemics, this transparency is essential to building trust in science.

Aliens make for a great headline, but the real story is in how we do the science.

Screenshot of NYTimes article with a picture of Earth and teh headline that reads "Astronomers Detect a Signature of Life on a Distant Planet"
The search for life beyond Earth has led scientists to explore many suggestive mysteries, from plumes of methane on Mars to clouds of phosphine gas on Venus. But as far as we can tell, Earth’s inhabitants remain alone in the cosmos. Now a team of researchers is offering what it contends is the strongest indication yet of extraterrestrial life, not in our solar system but on a massive planet, known as K2-18b, that orbits a star 120 light-years from Earth. A repeated analysis of the exoplanet’s atmosphere suggests an abundance of a molecule that on Earth has only one known source: living organisms such as marine algae. “It is in no one’s interest to claim prematurely that we have detected life,” said Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge and an author of the new study, at a news conference on Tuesday. Still, he said, the best explanation for his group’s observations is that K2-18b is covered with a warm ocean, brimming with life. “This is a revolutionary moment,” Dr. Madhusudhan said. “It’s the first time humanity has seen potential biosignatures on a habitable planet.”
#JWST#Astronomy#Astrobiology
Öffentlich *
Ben Royce 🇺🇦

Astronomers using the #JamesWebbTelescope #JWST have found water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane on planet K2-18b

2.6x Earth radius, in the habitable zone (liquid water possible), 124 ly away

The cool part:

They also found DMS. Dimethyl Sulfide (probably, the signal is weak, they need to confirm)

you know DMS as "the smell of the sea"

We don't know of any geochemical processes that make DMS

The only process we know of that makes DMS, is life

👀

newscientist.com/article/24770

New Scientist · Astronomers claim strongest evidence of alien life yetVon Alex Wilkins
#Astronomy
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