Post #1343662
2025-04-17 13:02 UTC
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)
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/16/nx-s1-5364805/signs-life-alien-planet-biosignatures-exoplanet
#science #astronomy #JWST #Research
Replies (2)
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@SeanPLynch@mastodon.social 2025-04-17 13:07
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. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2410.08724 #science #astronomy #JWST #ARXIV
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@FMarquardtGroup@fediscience.org 2025-04-18 16:18
@SeanPLynch A link to the detection claim paper discussed in the npr piece: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/adc1c8 (open access) #JWST #k218b