JWST Found Hints of Biological Activity at K2-18b with Dr. Nikku Madhusudhan
2,830Dr. Nikku Madhusudhan of the University of Cambridge discusses a major breakthrough in the search for life beyond Earth. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, his team has detected the chemical fingerprints of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) in the atmosphere of K2-18 b. These compounds, which on Earth are associated mostly with biological activity, suggest that this distant potential Hycean world may be one of the most promising candidates for alien life outside our solar system. The findings open a new chapter in the study of habitable exoplanets and the search for extraterrestrial biology.
https://hycean.group.cam.ac.uk/
Madhusudhan, N., Constantinou, S., Holmberg, M., Sarkar, S., Piette, A. A. A., & Moses, J. I. (2025). New Constraints on DMS and DMDS in the Atmosphere of K2-18 b from JWST MIRI. arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.12267.
0:00 Intro and Dr. Nikku Madhusudhan bio
2:33 Habitable Zone and Size of K2-18b
5:09 Importance of Hydrogen-Rich Atmospheres
7:43 Ocean Worlds Atmospheres
10:16 Mini-Neptune Hypothesis Critique
12:50 Potential Habitability of Detected Molecules
15:22 Significance of 3-Sigma Detection of DMDS and DMS
17:56 How JWST Transit Observations Work
20:32 Developing a Robust Data Pipeline
23:05 Chemical Composition and Molecule Identification
25:37 Confirming the Presence of DMDS and DMS
28:13 Interpreting Biosignature Signals
30:46 Abiotic Production Issues
33:20 Early Earth Analog and Biosignature Implications
35:51 Biological Activity Levels Compared to Earth
38:22 Forming Life on Hycean Worlds
41:00 Open Questions About Life Formation
43:30 Stellar Activity of Red Dwarfs
46:06 Hydrogen-Rich Atmosphere Composition
48:36 Methane and CO2 as Potential Biosignatures
51:09 Strategy for Confirming 5-Sigma Detection
53:41 Discussing Abiotic and Comet-Based Arguments
56:15 Evaluating Abiotic Explanations Critically
58:47 Conclusion and Importance for Observational Astrobiology
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