Latest news with #InstituteofAstronomy
Daily Mirror
18-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mirror
'Strongest ever signs' of alien life found by scientists
A planet more than 100 light years away from Earth could be "teeming with alien life" after the "strongest ever signs of extraterrestrial life" were detected in the universe A leading scientist has suggested that an ocean planet could be "brimming with extraterrestrial beings," following a groundbreaking discovery. Planet K2-18b, situated some 120 light years from Earth, has shown potential signs of life, according to Professor Nikku Madhusudhan of Cambridge University's Institute of Astronomy, who utilised NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) for his research. In a conversation with the BBC, he remarked: "This is the strongest evidence yet there is possibly life out there. I can realistically say that we can confirm this signal within one to two years." The planet's atmosphere is believed to contain crucial molecules associated with life – dimethyl sulphide and dimethyl disulphide – similar to those produced on Earth by marine phytoplankton and bacteria. Professor Madhusudhan observed that the gas levels detected were "thousands of times higher than what we have on Earth" during just one observation period, reports the Daily Star. He elaborated: "So, if the association with life is real, then this planet will be teeming with life. If we confirm that there is life on k2-18b it should basically confirm that life is very common in the galaxy". Looking to the future, he speculated: "Decades from now, we may look back at this point in time and recognise it was when the living universe came within reach. "This could be the tipping point, where suddenly the fundamental question of whether we're alone in the universe is one we're capable of answering." The findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, delve deeper into the discoveries made – with the researcher asserting that his observations were "in line" with prior predictions. He further bolstered his assertion that the planet might be brimming with extraterrestrial life. He penned: "Earlier theoretical work had predicted that high levels of sulfur-based gases like DMS and DMDS are possible on Hycean worlds. "And now we've observed it, in line with what was predicted. "Given everything we know about this planet, a Hycean world with an ocean that is teeming with life is the scenario that best fits the data we have. The signal came through strong and clear." Supporting his statement, report co-author Måns Holmberg, from the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, remarked: "It was an incredible realisation seeing the results emerge and remain consistent throughout the extensive independent analyses and robustness tests."
The Guardian
30-06-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Unsung observatory worker was UK's first professional female astronomer, experts say
For more than a century, astronomers assumed she had simply 'computed' complex calculations for the Victorian men who had exclusive use of Cambridge Observatory telescopes. But researchers now say that Annie Walker – a Victorian woman who began working at the observatory in 1879, when she was only 15 – actually observed thousands of stars herself. Previously overlooked evidence indicates Walker was the first British professional female astronomer who was paid a living wage by an observatory in the UK to chart the stars. But unlike the celebrated German astronomer Caroline Herschel, who was granted a salary by King George III to assist her brother William in his work as the court astronomer a century earlier, Walker's work as a trailblazing female astronomer has been neglected. The Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, which houses its library in the old Cambridge Observatory building, is seeking to put this right. In April the institute managed to get an asteroid – the AnnieWalker – named after its former employee and now the organisation is launching a campaign to find a photograph of Walker to hang in the institute and be used in articles to reassert her rightful place in the history of science. 'She was a real pioneer for women in astronomy – she literally would have recorded the position of thousands of stars,' said the institute's spokesperson Mark Hurn, who has been searching for a photograph of Walker in local archives for '20-odd years'. He is appealing to Guardian readers in the UK and Australia, where Walker died in 1940, for help. 'It would make such a tremendous difference to her legacy to have her photograph.' The daughter of a mill owner, Walker was recruited from her Cambridge boarding school to do routine calculations for astronomers at the observatory. 'That was quite common in the 19th century – it wasn't that unusual for women to do that job. What is unusual is that, in Annie's case, she became trained to use the telescopes. By the 1890s, she was doing the bulk of the observing at the observatory, while still employed as a computer.' Hurn speculates that this happened because the eyesight of Walker's elderly boss, the astronomer Andrew Graham, declined over the 21 years she worked there. 'To observe the stars, she would sit at the eyepiece through the course of the night, waiting for them to cross through the field of the telescope's view, and then she would record the elevation of the telescope and the exact time the star passed.' These numbers would allow her to calculate an exact position for each star, as part of an international project to chart the galaxy. When Graham retired aged 88 in 1903, 'she expected to get his job, but instead a younger man – who Annie had trained on the telescopes herself – was appointed to the role'. This was probably due to a change in the leadership of the observatory, Hurn said. 'John Couch Adams, who was in favour of women's education, was replaced by Sir Robert Ball, a conservative who didn't really approve of women working, particularly in astronomy. Walker's career was blighted by his prejudice.' She resigned in 1903 and emigrated to Nyora in Melbourne, Australia, to be with her brother Frank Walker, a butcher. 'I think she felt she didn't have much of a future in Cambridge.' His living descendants were unable to supply a photograph of her. 'They weren't aware of Annie and her work in astronomy, which is really sad,' said Hurn. Working with an independent historian, Roger Hutchins, the institute has discovered Walker continued to describe herself as an astronomer on the Australian electoral roll in 1909, 'but we've contacted all the observatories out there and we're pretty sure she never worked in an observatory in Australia. We think perhaps she was helping out with her brother's business,' said Hurn. Evidence unearthed by Hutchins has revealed that two catalogues of Walker's work observing the stars were eventually published in the 1920s and 'full credit' given to her by the then director of the Cambridge Observatory, Sir Arthur Eddington. But Hurn thinks Walker probably never knew her contributions to astronomy had been recognised during her lifetime and her status as a pioneer was neglected by previous curators of the observatory's history. 'She was the first professional woman to earn a living from astronomy,' said Hurn. 'But if you asked most astronomers today, they wouldn't know her name.'
Yomiuri Shimbun
25-04-2025
- Science
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Scientists Discover Strongest Evidence Yet of Life on Exoplanet
A. Smith, N. Madhusudhan / University of Cambridge / Handout via Reuters A graph shows the observed transmission spectrum of the habitable zone exoplanet K2-18 b using the James Webb Space Telescope MIRI spectrograph instrument. The vertical shows the fraction of star light absorbed in the planet's atmosphere due to molecules in its atmosphere. The data are shown in the yellow circles with the 1-sigma uncertainties. The curves show the model fits to the data, with the black curve showing the median fit and the cyan curves outlining the 1-sigma intervals of the model fits. The absorption features attributed to dimethyl sulphide and dimethyl disulphide are indicated by the horizontal lines and text. Theses images were obtained on April 16. WASHINGTON (Reuters) — In a potential landmark discovery, scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have obtained what they call the strongest signs yet of possible life beyond our solar system, detecting in an alien planet's atmosphere the chemical fingerprints of gases that on Earth are produced only by biological processes. The two gases — dimethyl sulfide, or DMS, and dimethyl disulfide, or DMDS — involved in Webb's observations of the planet named K2-18 b are generated on Earth by living organisms, primarily microbial life such as marine phytoplankton — algae. This suggests the planet may be teeming with microbial life, the researchers said. They stressed, however, that they are not announcing the discovery of actual living organisms but rather a possible biosignature — an indicator of a biological process — and that the findings should be viewed cautiously, with more observations needed. Nonetheless, they voiced excitement. These are the first hints of an alien world that is possibly inhabited, said astrophysicist Nikku Madhusudhan of the University of Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy, lead author of the study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. 'This is a transformational moment in the search for life beyond the solar system, where we have demonstrated that it is possible to detect biosignatures in potentially habitable planets with current facilities. We have entered the era of observational astrobiology,' Madhusudhan said. Madhusudhan noted that there are various efforts underway searching for signs of life in our solar system, including various claims of environments that might be conducive to life in places like Mars, Venus and various icy moons. K2-18 b is 8.6 times as massive as Earth and has a diameter about 2.6 times as large as our planet. It orbits in the 'habitable zone' — a distance where liquid water, a key ingredient for life, can exist on a planetary surface — around a red dwarf star smaller and less luminous than our sun, located about 124 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. 'Hycean world' About 5,800 planets beyond our solar system, called exoplanets, have been discovered since the 1990s. Scientists have hypothesized the existence of exoplanets called hycean worlds — covered by a liquid water ocean habitable by microorganisms and with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere. Earlier observations by Webb, which was launched in 2021 and became operational in 2022, had identified methane and carbon dioxide in K2-18 b's atmosphere, the first time that carbon-based molecules were discovered in the atmosphere of an exoplanet in a star's habitable zone. 'The only scenario that currently explains all the data obtained so far from JWST (James Webb Space Telescope), including the past and present observations, is one where K2-18 b is a hycean world teeming with life,' Madhusudhan said. 'However, we need to be open and continue exploring other scenarios.' Madhusudhan said that with hycean worlds, if they exist, 'we are talking about microbial life, possibly like what we see in the Earth's oceans.' Their oceans are hypothesized to be warmer than Earth's. Asked about possible multicellular organisms or even intelligent life, Madhusudhan said, 'We won't be able to answer this question at this stage. The baseline assumption is of simple microbial life.' DMS and DMDS, both from the same chemical family, have been predicted as important exoplanet biosignatures. Webb found that one or the other, or possibly both, were present in the planet's atmosphere at a 99.7% confidence level, meaning there is still a 0.3% chance of the observation being a statistical fluke. A. Smith, N. Madhusudhan / University of Cambridge / Handout via Reuters An illustration shows a hycean world — an exoplanet with a liquid water ocean beneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere — orbiting a red dwarf star. Based on observations by the James Webb Space Telescope, the exoplanet K2-18 b might fit in this category. The gases were detected at atmospheric concentrations of more than 10 parts per million by volume. 'For reference, this is thousands of times higher than their concentrations in the Earth's atmosphere, and cannot be explained without biological activity based on existing knowledge,' Madhusudhan said. Scientists not involved in the study counseled circumspection. 'The rich data from K2-18 b make it a tantalizing world,' said Christopher Glein, principal scientist at the Space Science Division of the Southwest Research Institute in Texas. 'These latest data are a valuable contribution to our understanding. Yet, we must be very careful to test the data as thoroughly as possible.' Transit method K2-18 b is part of the 'sub-Neptune' class of planets, with a diameter greater than Earth's but less than that of Neptune, our solar system's smallest gas planet. To ascertain the chemical composition of an exoplanet's atmosphere, astronomers analyze the light from its host star as the planet passes in front of it from the perspective of Earth, called the transit method. As the planet transits, Webb can detect a decrease in stellar brightness, and a small fraction of starlight passes through the planetary atmosphere before being detected by the telescope. This lets scientists determine the constituent gases of the planet's atmosphere. Webb's previous observations of this planet provided a tentative hint of DMS. Its new observations used a different instrument and a different wavelength range of light. The 'Holy Grail' of exoplanet science, Madhusudhan said, is to find evidence of life on an Earth-like planet beyond our solar system. Madhusudhan said that our species for thousands of years has wondered 'are we alone' in the universe, and now might be within just a few years of detecting possible alien life on a hycean world. But Madhusudhan still urged caution. 'First we need to repeat the observations two to three times to make sure the signal we are seeing is robust and to increase the detection significance' to the level at which the odds of a statistical fluke are below roughly one in a million, Madhusudhan said. 'Second, we need more theoretical and experimental studies to make sure whether or not there is another abiotic mechanism [one not involving biological processes] to make DMS or DMDS in a planetary atmosphere like that of K2-18 b. Even though previous studies have suggested them [as] robust biosignatures even for K2-18 b, we need to remain open and pursue other possibilities,' Madhusudhan said. So the findings represent 'a big if' on whether the observations are due to life, and it is in 'no one's interest to claim prematurely that we have detected life,' Madhusudhan said.
The Herald Scotland
23-04-2025
- Science
- The Herald Scotland
So we may not be alone. What does that do to religion?
While there was barely a news outlet globally that will not have reported the Pope's passing, there was another event last week that raised even more profound questions about the nature of human existence, that merited barely a flicker of attention. The discovery of gas particles on the edge of our galaxy provided the 'strongest evidence yet' of the existence of life on another planet. Read more by Carlos Alba Scientists at Cambridge University's Institute of Astronomy, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), have detected molecules surrounding a planet named K2-18b, which on Earth are only produced by simple organisms. Their research indicates the existence of a chemical signature matching dimethyl sulphide (DMS) or dimethyl disulphide (DMDS), both of which are known by-products of marine phytoplankton and bacteria on Earth, making their discovery a potentially significant development in the search for extraterrestrial life. Professor Nikku Madhusudhan, the lead researcher, said he was surprised at the amount of the gas apparently detected in a single observation window, which is thousands of times higher than that on Earth. "If the association with life is real, then this planet will be teeming with life," he added. "If we confirm that there is life on K2-18b, it should basically confirm that life is very common in the galaxy." Before we start brushing up on our Klingon, there are some important caveats. The scientists made clear they need to collect more data to bolster their case. And, even if they do find more conclusive evidence of life on K2-18b, the planet is 700 trillion miles from Earth meaning that, even if we could travel at the speed of light, it would take us 124 years to get there. Nevertheless, the discovery has the potential to be the most important development in natural science since Darwin's Theory of Evolution. If, as Prof Madhusudhan suggests, life could be 'very common in the galaxy', it would fatally undermine the fundamental premise of every world religion, that we and this planet exist at the notional centre of the Universe, both as the creation of a higher being. Rather, it would suggest that we are a local planet, located in an insignificant corner of a Universe which potentially hosts an infinite number of other life-bearing planets. The theistic argument rests on the notion that the starting point for life could only have come from a higher intelligence. It exploits the self-imposed limits applied by science which, unlike with religion, doesn't base its findings on absolutes. Even with a level of certainty of 99.7%, Prof Madhusudhan and his team are not at the standard required to claim a discovery. For that, he and his researchers need to be about 99.99999% sure that their results are correct and not a fluke reading. Theists require nowhere near such rigour to be able to claim, for example, that Christ rose from the dead or that the prophet Muhammed was the last messenger of God. In the same week that these potentially earth-shattering findings were announced, most media outlets focused instead on the 11 minutes in space spent by six female friends, relatives, and hangers-on of the billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. It says something about our priorities and the limits of our horizons that we prefer to focus on the musings of pop singer Katy Perry – 'I felt so connected to love' – and Bezos's fiancée Lauren Sánchez – 'the Earth looked so quiet' – than on the very nature and meaning of life. While this discreditable exercise in cash-burning futility merited media exposure on a scale similar to the Pope's death, with a couple of notable exceptions coverage of the Cambridge discovery was mostly limited to specialist platforms like Space, New Scientist and Nature. While Evolution News carried the story, it was conspicuously absent from any religious publications. Granted The Tablet and the Scottish Catholic Observer had other things on their mind, but you'd have thought the news would be of some interest to such outlets, if only to stand their corner. Given the centrality of religion to so many of the world's problems and to so much bloodshed and suffering, I'm never less than surprised at the lack of questioning in common discourse of its absurdity. Aside from the current war in the Middle East and the devastation wrought by Islamic terrorism, there is the long history of sectarian violence in India and the culpability of the Catholic Church, and its stance on contraception, in the spread of AIDS in Africa – the list goes on. Much of Donald Trump's regressive policy programme – including his opposition to abortion and his ban on transgender people serving in the military – is aimed at serving an evangelical Christian electoral base. The death of Pope Francis will have prompted moments of deep introspection for many (Image: PA) His administration's heavy reliance on white Christian nationalists and prosperity gospel preachers in key positions, has raised concerns about its impact on American democracy. Both Obama and Biden included leaders from diverse faiths, including Muslims and Sikhs, in their administrations and faith-based offices. Trump, on the other hand, has surrounded himself with individuals who promote a narrow and exclusionary vision of Christianity, often associated with anti-LGBTQ+, anti-immigration, and anti-racial equality stances. Irrespective of whether K2-18b is the start of a new era of natural scientific discovery, we should, at least, be more sceptical of religion and the powerful place it occupies. In this country, we could start by insisting that religious education in schools focuses principally on fostering a neutral and objective understanding of religion as a cultural and historical phenomenon. While it's important for students to learn about different religions, this should be approached academically, similar to subjects like history or literature, rather than as an attempt to endorse or promote any specific faith. The Pope may be dead, long live enlightenment and progress. Carlos Alba is a journalist, author, and PR consultant at Carlos Alba Media. His latest novel, There's a Problem with Dad, explores the issue of undiagnosed autism among older people
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Chemical fingerprints could belong to a signature of life on distant planet
Editor's note: A version of this story appeared in CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. When astronomers search for evidence of life beyond Earth, what signs are they seeking? Would clues be traced to microfossils trapped within ancient Martian rocks, swim in waters of an ocean world, or lead to an Earth-like twin thought of as Planet B? Or perhaps a technosignature, a signal that could be created by intelligent life, might point scientists in the right direction. The scientific community has debated the question — as well as where the evidence of life may be found — for years. This week, researchers shared a finding from an intriguing exoplanet that might represent the next step toward discovering whether life is possible on another world. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have found chemical fingerprints in the atmosphere of the distant planet K2-18b that could belong to molecules only created by life on Earth. The molecules, dimethyl sulfide and potentially dimethyl disulfide, are typically made by marine phytoplankton on Earth. Nikku Madhusudhan, professor of astrophysics and exoplanetary science at the University of Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy, and his colleagues believe K2-18b, located 124 light-years from Earth, is a Hycean world, or a potentially habitable planet entirely covered in liquid water with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere. 'Given everything we know about this planet, a Hycean world with an ocean that is teeming with life is the scenario that best fits the data we have,' he said. However, the study authors have not declared a definitive discovery of life beyond our planet — and experts remain skeptical about the idea of the molecules representing signs of biological activity. An expedition seeking previously unknown marine life has revealed the first footage of a colossal squid, which resembles a 'glass sculpture,' in its native deep-sea environment. This week, six female passengers, including singer Katy Perry and journalist Gayle King, went on a roughly 10-minute journey to space and back again aboard a Blue Origin New Shepard flight. But how exactly do experts define where Earth ends and space begins during such a brief jaunt? The capsule reached 346,802 feet (106 kilometers) above ground level and 350,449 feet above mean sea level (107 kilometers). New Shepard traveled well above the Kármán line, a point at 62 miles (100 kilometers) that's often used to define the altitude at which airspace ends and outer space begins. But throughout the history of its usage, the Kármán line has often been controversial. Seismologist Deborah Kilb was the first to notice unusual tremors beneath the Sierra Nevada. They were occurring at a depth where Earth's crust is typically too hot for quake activity, said Kilb of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Now, Kilb and other researchers studying deep rock deformations beneath the Sierra Nevada have used an imaging technique to map Earth's internal structure — and they detected the planet's crust peeling away. The phenomenon could shed light on how the continents formed and determine whether there are other parts of the planet where the crust is peeling. Separately, the contents of a 4.6 billion-year-old rare type of meteorite could change how scientists understand Earth's origin story and just how long water has been present on the planet. Amateur astronomers discovered a new comet, known as C/2025 F2 (SWAN), at the end of March, but in recent days, the celestial object's story has gained a new twist. The latest observations of the comet suggest the object, made of ancient rock, frozen gases and dust, has disintegrated on its way to a close approach of the sun, which was anticipated to occur on May 1. However, the comet's remnant is still visible and will be for a few weeks, according to experts. Here's everything you need to know about how and when to see it. NASA astronaut Don Pettit has ventured to space four times, and the veteran scientist is due to return to Earth on Saturday from his most recent stint aboard the International Space Station. In addition to inventing the Zero-G coffee cup that allows astronauts to enjoy a hot beverage as they would on Earth, Pettit is also known for his stunning photography of the cosmos. To celebrate his homecoming, here are some of Pettit's awe-inspiring images from his seven-month stay on the orbiting laboratory, including long-exposure views of the colors that dance above the Earth. These stories are worth a deep dive: — Using a speck of mouse tissue, scientists created the first precise, 3D map of a mammal's brain — and animations allow you to look right inside. — Pollution from antianxiety medication is changing the ancient migration patterns of salmon by accumulating in their brains, and it could alter their lives in unforeseen ways. — Venture into Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and watch how a wildlife veterinarian has dedicated her life's work to protecting one of our closest genetic cousins, the mountain gorilla. Like what you've read? Oh, but there's more. Sign up here to receive in your inbox the next edition of Wonder Theory, brought to you by CNN Space and Science writers Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt and Jackie Wattles. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.
