Skip to content News Astronomy A claimed hint of alien life whips up spirited debate There’s a lot to unpack behind hints of biosignatures on the far-off world K2 18b Some astronomers think the distant planet K2 18b (illustrated) may be an ocean world capable of hosting life. A. Smith, N. Madhusudhan/Univ. of Cambridge By Lisa Grossman 36 minutes ago You may have already seen the headlines: Signs of life have reportedly been discovered on an alien world.  A team of astronomers led by Nikku Madhusudhan of the University of Cambridge used the James Webb Space Telescope to search for interesting molecules in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system called K2 18b. The team now says they’ve found molecules that, on Earth, are associated with life, in an abundance that is hard to explain otherwise. Sign up for our newsletter We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.