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In a groundbreaking development in the search for life beyond Earth, Indian-origin astrophysicist Dr. Nikku Madhusudhan, an alumnus of IIT-BHU, has led an international team of scientists that discovered potential signs of biological activity on a distant exoplanet, K2-18b, located about 120 light years away.
The findings, published in the prestigious Astrophysical Journal Letters, suggest that K2-18b, a planet orbiting a cool dwarf star in the Leo constellation, could be a ‘hycean world’ a term coined by Dr. Madhusudhan himself with a warm ocean and hydrogen-rich atmosphere, ideal conditions for hosting life.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the team detected the presence of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) in the planet’s atmosphere. On Earth, DMS is only produced by living organisms, particularly marine phytoplankton. The presence of this gas on an exoplanet, experts say, could be the strongest biosignature discovered to date.
“The best explanation for our observations is that K2-18b is covered with a warm ocean, brimming with life,” Dr. Madhusudhan said at a press conference. He added a word of caution, however: “It is in no one’s interest to claim prematurely that we have detected life.”
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While the discovery does not confirm the existence of life, it opens new possibilities for identifying habitable planets beyond the solar system.
Who is Nikku Madhusudhan?
Born in India in 1980, Nikku Madhusudhan completed his undergraduate studies at IIT-BHU, Varanasi. He later moved to the US for higher studies at MIT, where he earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees. Today, he serves as a Professor of Astrophysics and Exoplanetary Science at the University of Cambridge, and has previously worked with institutions like Yale, Princeton, and MIT.
Madhusudhan has received accolades from global scientific communities, including the European Astronomical Society and the International Union for Pure and Applied Physics. His research continues to explore the formation, atmospheres, and habitability of exoplanets using advanced tools like the Hubble Space Telescope and JWST.
Since the 1990s, astronomers have discovered over 5,800 exoplanets, many of which are now being studied for potential life. The discovery on K2-18b could mark a turning point in astrobiology and the search for alien life.
