Adding strong credibility to the scientific theory of life beyond the solar system, scientists have recently gained crucial insights using the James Webb Space Telescope in the matter. The researchers call the findings the “strongest signs yet” of potential life in an alien planet’s atmosphere.

The team of scientists headed by Astrophysicist Nikku Madhusudhan of the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy, has detected the chemical fingerprints of gases that are produced only by biological processes on the Earth. The group discovered two gases – dimethyl sulfide, or DMS, and dimethyl disulfide, or DMDS – in the Webb’s monitoring. The gases are usually generated on Earth by living organisms, especially microbial life such as marine phytoplankton – algae.

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However, the researchers have noted that they are not announcing the discovery of actual living organisms but a possible biosignature, adding more studies and observations are required in the area.

Notably, they suggested that there are ample hints to believe that an alien world exists, possibly inhabited by living organisms. Astrophysicist Nikku Madhusudhan of the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy, and the lead author of the study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, hailed the findings as a “transformational moment in the search for life beyond the solar system.”

Madhusudhan stated that efforts are underway to search for signs of life in our solar system, including various claims of environments that might be conducive to life on several planets like Mars and the Moon.

Since the 1990s, scientists have discovered around 5,800 planets, named exoplanets, beyond the solar system. As per their hypothesis, the existence of exoplanets called ocean worlds – covered by a liquid water ocean habitable by microorganisms and with a hydrogen-richK2-18 b-is 8.6 times as massive as Earth.

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Madhusudhan pointed out that they were talking about the potential of microbial life, possibly the organisms that we see in the Earth’s oceans. “Their oceans are hypothesized to be warmer than the Earth’s,” the lead author claimed. When asked about possible multicellular organisms or even intelligent life, the researchers said they were not able to answer the question at this stage. According to Madhusudhan, the gases were detected at atmospheric concentrations of more than 10 parts per million by volume.

Madhusudhan further stressed the need to continue exploring other scenarios in the matter.