"a425couple" wrote in message news:IW2rR.3$s8m.2@fx39.iad...
EfU? James Webb Space Telescope has just delivered the strongest hint yet
of alien life! Scientists studying the distant exoplanet K2-18 b (about
120 light-years away in the constellation Leo) have detected methane,
carbon dioxide, and a possible trace of dimethyl sulfide (DMS)rCoa
molecule that, on Earth, is produced almost exclusively by living
organisms such as marine plankton.
----------------------------
Almost but not quite, it seems.
https://www.science.org/content/article/what-presumed-sign-life-doing-dead-comet
"Scientists have discovered dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a molecule thought
to have only living sources, on a cold, lifeless comet. The finding
calls into question the moleculerCOs usefulness as a biosignature and
the significance of an earlier hint of it in the atmosphere of an
alien planet."
Photon and particle radiation can ionize or split molecules which
allows them to reassemble differently with whatever they
encounter. Many protein components are simple enough to be made this
way and have been detected in space. Chemical synthesis isn't really
much different, break bonds and let them rearrange, then separate what
you want from what recombined in other ways.
B.S. Chem '69
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-complex-blocks-life-spontaneously-space.html "That said, we still don't know exactly how life began. But research
like ours shows that many of the complex molecules necessary for life
are created naturally in space."
"Jim Wilkins" <muratlanne@gmail.com> writes:
"a425couple" wrote in message news:IW2rR.3$s8m.2@fx39.iad...
EfU? James Webb Space Telescope has just delivered the strongest hint yet
of alien life! Scientists studying the distant exoplanet K2-18 b (about
120 light-years away in the constellation Leo) have detected methane,
carbon dioxide, and a possible trace of dimethyl sulfide (DMS)rCoa
molecule that, on Earth, is produced almost exclusively by living
organisms such as marine plankton.
----------------------------
Almost but not quite, it seems.
https://www.science.org/content/article/what-presumed-sign-life-doing-dead-comet
"Scientists have discovered dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a molecule thought
to have only living sources, on a cold, lifeless comet. The finding
calls into question the moleculerCOs usefulness as a biosignature and
the significance of an earlier hint of it in the atmosphere of an
alien planet."
Photon and particle radiation can ionize or split molecules which
allows them to reassemble differently with whatever they
encounter. Many protein components are simple enough to be made this
way and have been detected in space. Chemical synthesis isn't really
much different, break bonds and let them rearrange, then separate what
you want from what recombined in other ways.
B.S. Chem '69
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-complex-blocks-life-spontaneously-space.html >> "That said, we still don't know exactly how life began. But research
like ours shows that many of the complex molecules necessary for life
are created naturally in space."
The planet is orbiting a spectral class M 2.8 dwarf. The double-edged
sword about M-type 'habitable zones' is that they're not habitable. I
surmise the planet had a thicker atmosphere early on and it is
surprising it possesses one today even though it is a sub-neptunian. It
would be cool to know if the winds are supersonic.
But, since it does have an atmosphere, it wouldn't be shocking to learn
that the high radiation environment results in a complex mix of crazy chemistry.
I would be very surprised if life exists. Just a very bad candidate.
I wish they'd focus on K type specral class stars and their planets.
With K2-18B, followup papers have discredited any notion that the
chemistry on that planet indicate biomarkers as Jim pointed out. Goes to
show how science continues to improve our understanding of nature and revises/devalues earlier assumptions.
Daniel
sysop | air & wave bbs
finger | calcmandan@bbs.erb.pw
Le 2026-03-09 |a 17:58, Daniel a |-crit-a:
"Jim Wilkins" <muratlanne@gmail.com> writes:
"a425couple" wrote in message news:IW2rR.3$s8m.2@fx39.iad...The planet is orbiting a spectral class M 2.8 dwarf. The
EfU? James Webb Space Telescope has just delivered the strongest hint yet >>> of alien life! Scientists studying the distant exoplanet K2-18 b (about
120 light-years away in the constellation Leo) have detected methane,
carbon dioxide, and a possible trace of dimethyl sulfide (DMS)rCoa
molecule that, on Earth, is produced almost exclusively by living
organisms such as marine plankton.
----------------------------
Almost but not quite, it seems.
https://www.science.org/content/article/what-presumed-sign-life-doing-dead-comet
"Scientists have discovered dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a molecule thought
to have only living sources, on a cold, lifeless comet. The finding
calls into question the moleculerCOs usefulness as a biosignature and
the significance of an earlier hint of it in the atmosphere of an
alien planet."
Photon and particle radiation can ionize or split molecules which
allows them to reassemble differently with whatever they
encounter. Many protein components are simple enough to be made this
way and have been detected in space. Chemical synthesis isn't really
much different, break bonds and let them rearrange, then separate what
you want from what recombined in other ways.
B.S. Chem '69
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-complex-blocks-life-spontaneously-space.html >>> "That said, we still don't know exactly how life began. But research
like ours shows that many of the complex molecules necessary for life
are created naturally in space."
double-edged
sword about M-type 'habitable zones' is that they're not habitable. I
surmise the planet had a thicker atmosphere early on and it is
surprising it possesses one today even though it is a sub-neptunian. It
would be cool to know if the winds are supersonic.
But, since it does have an atmosphere, it wouldn't be shocking to
learn
that the high radiation environment results in a complex mix of crazy
chemistry.
I would be very surprised if life exists. Just a very bad candidate.
I wish they'd focus on K type specral class stars and their planets.
With K2-18B, followup papers have discredited any notion that the
chemistry on that planet indicate biomarkers as Jim pointed out. Goes to
show how science continues to improve our understanding of nature and
revises/devalues earlier assumptions.
Daniel
sysop | air & wave bbs
finger | calcmandan@bbs.erb.pw
Finding planets around M type stars is easy : Tight orbits, dimmest
star, planets larger relative to the star. That mean that the chance
of a planet transiting in front of the star is higher, and the change
in luminosity more noticeable.
Finding planets around K type stars is harder : Broader orbits,
relatively bright star, the same planet is smaller relative to the
star.
Around G type stars, like our Sun, the detection is even more difficult.
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