Scientists have made a breakthrough discovery that could make hunting for aliens easier. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have identified a new sign of life on far-off planets that don’t resemble Earth.
The key to finding alien life lies in detecting specific gases in the atmosphere of exoplanets, worlds beyond our solar system. The University of California, Riverside, says these gases are “rarely considered” in the search for extraterrestrial life.
The James Webb Space Telescope has been probing the universe to study galaxies, stars, and exoplanets that could support life. To detect a group of gases called methyl halides, scientists would need to look at bigger exoplanets orbiting small red stars, known as Hycean worlds.
These planets have deep oceans and thick atmospheres made up of hydrogen, which could be home to alien microbes. Unlike Earth-like planets, Hycean worlds offer a clearer signal for detecting biosignatures.
Detecting methyl halides on these planets could provide a clue that life is lurking beneath their dense hydrogen atmospheres. The James Webb Space Telescope could potentially detect these gases in as few as 13 hours.
While the discovery doesn’t mean humans will visit an exoplanet anytime soon, it’s a significant step forward in understanding life’s distribution and origins.
Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/33842958/alien-life-planets-extraterrestrial-et-signs-gas-jwst-nasa