Life Outside the Earth

Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS) releases volatile Sulphur, giving the sea its distinctive smell. This compound is produced by copious algae floating close to the sea surface. Thus, it is a sign of life or biosignature.

In April 2025, a paper has been published in Astrophysical Journal of Letters suggesting the presence of DMS on a distant planet, 124 light years away, named as K2-18b. It is a study by a Cambridge Scientist Nikku Madhusudhan. DMS concentration is there much more than on the earth.

NASA’s Kepler mission discovered the planet K2-18b. It is a planet outside the solar system. It is far bigger than the earth but smaller than Neptune. Such sub-Neptunes are located in the Goldilocks Zone of a star. This area is not too hot, nor too cold. It may contain water and holds the promise of life.

Sub-Neptunes are poorly understood. They are overshowed by the parent star. Therefore, it is difficult to study their atmosphere because of the dazzle. The research team overcomes this obstacle by analyzing the light of the parent star while it passes through the atmosphere of the sub-Neptune. They identified methane and carbon dioxide there in 2023. The team found DMS, but the research paper published in Astrophysical Journal of Letters offers stronger indication of the gas. Later, the scientists will inter from this after running some more studies. The major issue to be studied is whether DMS there behaves the same way as it behaves on the earth.

There is always a quest for life outside the earth. It accelerated after the launch of the JWT telescope in 2021. It enables us to study the composition of the atmosphere from the light of the stars. It will extend the boundaries of human knowledge.