Did Scientists Find Life on K2-18b Or What? Here's The Most Likely Explanation

[@testboga5991]

Great that you cover actual science instead of clickbait bs! Thanks!

[@HaroldVonUberSchlong]

Lol righto

[@_WeDontKnow_]

lmao literally titled the video "so did scientists find life"

[@finophile]

actual science .... "could be" ... "in theory" ... "potential indicator" sadly Anton has exactly gone down the fluff and bubble path in the last few years. I'm not even going to touch the "dark matter" as if its real approach.

[@entity_unknown_]

​@@finophilestill better than most ai gen drivel. I used to think he was too corny but these days it's no comparison

[@macchiatomon]

@@finophile what exactly is wrong with it? This is more or less what in progress science looks like. We find data, then there's lots of ideas and discussion about what it could mean, then people sort through the fluff trying to figure it out.

[@nicholaswogan]

8:22 is from the paper I led! Thanks for sharing it with your audience! Great summary :)

[@michaelk2276]

Nice work!

[@callmebigpapa]

Thanks for doing this work.

[@mushedits]

What do think about Jane Greaves and her theories about Phosphine? Did your team use the same process to detect CO2?

[@nicholaswogan]

​@@mushedits I don't have a deep understanding of the Phosphine debate. But a few papers have come out since the original Greaves article that give good reasons to be skeptical of the P detection. Our work used a somewhat different approach to understand K2-18b, compared to Greaves+2020.

[@gcoffey223]

Superb!!

[@ecvent0r]

Dear Anton, let me express my appreciation for your work. In a world flooded with daily clickbait, rehashed, repackaged, promos disguised as reviews, innumerable podcasts and clips and all other types of videos that provide very little value; you are like an island of stability and integrity. Honestly you should be quoted as an example of how to have a daily upload channel that doesn’t feel artificial or exaggerated in any way. Thanks for being our wonderful science guy.

[@whatdamath]

thank you so much!

[@ClarkPotter]

Spot on compliment. I second it. No clickbait, honest presentation, extra depth of coverage for the intelligent layperson. Well done.

[@philliusphoggwick8299]

I agree. I think you must also have a great team working with you and thanks to them as well.

[@DUDEDRUNK]

🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑

[@alexmcvey1609]

​@@DUDEDRUNK You contributed so much valuable insight to this discussion. Thank you so much. 🙄

[@michaelkennedy8270]

Life gives itself away with the farting.

[@garysimon7765]

That's an inescapable fact ! Finally someone said it. Thanks

[@phillip6083]

If there's 2 aliens on a planet and 1 farts...everyone knows who it was.

[@forcelightningcable9639]

If you wanna find life, look for shit

[@TheDude-w5l]

Sorry, that was me, I let one rip in the wrong direction of the sky

[@juliusdaltoe431]

loved this so far, but I can't stop side mourh smiling when the subject is uranus... lol.... "uranus is a gass giant, maybe in the future, new expeditions can find bacteria signals in uranus, but as far as we know, uranus is far from the habitable zone"... sorry guys, I had to let it go... till next time, wonderfull Anton!

[@shodan6401]

Anton, I hope that you and your wife are doing well. I truly enjoy your content, but also have my best wishes for you and your family. After hardship, taking care of family is more important than anything else. Best wishes to you and yours...

[@whatdamath]

Thank you, this means a lot

[@peters616]

I appreciate that it's important to be a skeptic when it comes to something as groundbreaking as potentially detecting life in another planet but it's just not accurate to describe the original potential DMS detection as "extremely low and practically insignificant". The paper found the most likely model for detection to be 1 sigma, which is a 68 percent likelihood, and that's after accounting for the gap in the detector (without the gap it would have been a 3 sigma detection, or 99.7%). If you don't agree with the paper then fine, please let us know what you think the problems are. Also, regarding the new paper from NASA, it found the that a Hycean world with life and a mini Neptune were "equally likely" fits to the data, and neither an exact match, but that data plotted did not account for DMS. Also, it does not explain the lack of Ammonia, something you would expect to see from a mini Neptune.

[@DUDEDRUNK]

Thanks for saying this. I have the same issue with just how he dismissed the find based on his own ego and ideology. Sad how others are on here playing favourite sheeps for the shepherd without checking further.

[@airdogaron]

That was my issue with the video also. He didn't mention DMS at all in the later analysis, just C02 and methane despite those not being the significant finding which was the DMS. Strange how this comment also got such little engagement and nothing from Anton.

[@DUDEDRUNK]

@airdogaron Man has a God complex with his channel. You can never get people like him to reason. They know it all.

[@xc5103]

Nah, a recent discussion about the study concluded that the Webb telescope isn't outfitted with the right instruments to measure DMS that far away and in a significant manner. The planet would have to be producing way, way, way more DMS than ever known to be picked up, which in of itself is a statistical improbability. Furthermore, the planet has hydrogen for its atmosphere, which masks DMS. Thus, the paper was pure speculation.

[@Primarycolours-]

​@@DUDEDRUNK i don't think any god theories or religion mentions or denies the possibility of another planet with life on it.

[@DavidVeal]

I'm blown away by the instruments and the sciences it takes to capture and study this information. So appreciative as a non-scientist, a curious mind, a life long learner, for all of these videos and the scientists that have a passion to dig into the data.

[@mnm8818]

you can see the interview with Cambridge Lead Prof Nikku Madhusudhan who found it on LBC

[@bl4acksnake]

ty for the content, wonderful person! i've been enjoying your frequent uploads for the past few months and i really appreciate the unbiased, not-clickbait, not sensationalized takes. Be well!

[@SAOS451316]

It'll be very difficult to find an EM signature of a chemical that can only exist when life makes it. Exoplanets get creative with their chemistry.

[@economicprisoner]

@@Ezekiel903 That is not the reason it is OK to kill a 3 month old fetus. The life of the mother trumps the life of the fetus. The fetus can not survive without the mother.

[@itsd0nk]

@@Ezekiel903Get out of here, you lunatic. What are you even doing?

[@SAOS451316]

@@Ezekiel903 Shoo, anti-choicer! I'm talking about science here!

[@thetobyntr9540]

Yea, anything sitting around with random conditions or elements for just a few years can produce a lot of stuff. Life itself is a result of very active and lucky chemistry among molecules that happened to be the ones that accumulated and reacted in Earth's oceans, other planets could have very different chemicals with just a few things tweaked, and it doesn't make sense that chemistry on another world would be exactly like anything we've seen.

[@SAOS451316]

@@thetobyntr9540 On the other hand comets and other objects commonly have amino acids and our solar system has many oceans. It could be that microbial life is quite common in the universe.

[@picksalot1]

I've seen several Papers/Articles that mention that a high percentage of atmospheric Nitrogen may be a good biomarker for extraterrestrial life. In our solar system, Earth, and the moon Titan have that.

[@hugegamer5988]

Ten tons of total atmosphere is hardly anything and likely a poor indicator of life. The moon does not really have one in the conventional sense. There really should be a new term for such a transient and thin gas coating.

[@absalomdraconis]

Strong nitrogen signs appear to be correlated with fairly stable hydrogen-containing atmospheres. That in turn is a good starting point, but it's important to remember that it's not (and never will be) the same as a biomarker.

[@bbartky]

I think, but I’m not sure, it was Fraser Cain’s channel that it was mentioned that Venus has more nitrogen in its atmosphere than the Earth does. It’s just that Venus has an insane amount of CO2 so it’s not as noticeable as a component as it is on Earth.

[@picksalot1]

@@bbartky According to Brittanica Online Venus' " ... gaseous envelope is composed of more than 96 percent carbon dioxide and 3.5 percent molecular nitrogen." The atmosphere of Earth is made up of almost 80% Nitrogen gas.

[@StickySyrupEverywhere]

Mars has seasonal methane spikes. As if something is growing, dying and decaying. NASA isn't searching for potential microbes in the dirt. They've known those were there since the first Viking probe experiment was positive.

[@joeaddison7120]

Great vid. It’s worth noting that the lead scientist on this potential discovery is also tentative at best, regarding whether this is an indication of life. In the interview I saw of him, while he was quite fascinated with the data, he was not trying to present the indications as anything close to definitive. His assessment was pretty on match with this content.

[@MikeHunt-c5p]

Keep up the interesting subjects, Anton

[@arieverhoeff9141]

Of course we all would like to find life on other planets. Thx for commenting on studies which try to find life. One of your strengths is to also comment on follow up studies. I really appreciate these, because it keeps my feet on the ground. For finding life is hard and Rare Earth hypothesis seems more and more plausible. But hey, I like to dream so keep up the good work ⭐🌑🪐🚀

[@LogioTek]

Agree about Anton's diverse reporting and follow-ups. The universe is vast! So vast, that it's hard to comprehend. Statistically, there has to be (or has been) life somewhere out there.

[@phily-hu5pr]

You sound really stupid

[@Foogi9000]

Speaking of the Fermi Paradox, what about the Rare Fire Hypothesis? Fire as of now can only be produced on Earth and only under very specific conditions. In many ways life and fire are linked.

[@hugegamer5988]

@@Foogi9000 it’s also likely that there is no faster than light anything and interstellar travel by anything but basic probe is virtually impossible. We can’t even make our cars or phones last two decades much less 2000 years to get to the nearest star.

[@Foogi9000]

@@hugegamer5988 I firmly believe that mastering gene manipulation and biotechnology to extend our lifespans into the thousands is the only viable way to colonize space.

[@wardka]

I foresee scientists sending a probe to Europa or Titan, photographing a school of pink glow in the dark giraffe/sea horses that move in unison against the currents and they would still sit around and try to say, "Well, it might just be some kind of impure iceberg formation that is sublimating and outgassing."

[@Proletarius87]

I also think that it's the perception issue. There are always "better explanations" so we can pat ourselves and to be ensured about our uniqueness.

[@ronald3836]

In a few centuries, AI will be debating with itself whether the then-extinct humans were really a form of "intelligent" life or whether they were just simulating actual intelligence.

[@RipOffProductionsLLC]

​@Proletarius87 I don't even think it's that, it's that no scientist wants to have "jumped the gun to claim the discovery extraterrestrial life, and was later proven wrong" on the reputation.

[@reubenschooley2243]

@anton At approximately 7:00 you stated that K2-18 b is 8.6 times Earth in size. All the sources I find say it is 2.6 times Earth in size. Additionally you didn't mention that the dimethyl sulfide on K2-18 b is estimated to be in quantities many times greater than it is found on earth.

[@tripleheadedmonkey420]

This video is 12 days old and the scientist who discovered it stated all of this 3 days ago in an interview.

[@b1r2y3n]

⁠@@tripleheadedmonkey420And the data is months old…

[@nigeljefferson7096]

Mass isn’t the same thing as size

[@berserkasaurusrex4233]

2.6 times Earth's radius, 8.6 times Earth's mass. Surface gravity of about 1.27G. However, it's density points to it being a Neptune-like planet, so it probably doesn't have a solid surface. Given that there doesn't appear to be any water in the atmosphere itself, and the DMS levels appear much higher than on Earth, a planet covered in algae-rich oceans, this would suggest that the observation is simply wrong and the DMS detection is a false positive, or that the planet has a geologic or chemical capacity to create DMS naturally that we haven't observed previously. Since we don't have any tidally locked mini-gas giants orbiting young red dwarf stars to directly observe, we can't really know what chemicals can be generated in such planetary environments. The DMS detection is itself only a possibility, and not confirmed as yet. It's difficult to spectroscopically analyze planets orbiting dim red dwarfs like K2-18.

[@DennisRich-xw1gw]

​@berserkasaurusrex4233 Thanks for the explanation.

[@oceanshome5119]

Please keep covering this story. I love it!! Ty Anton!

[@jimcurtis9052]

Wonderful as always Anton. Thank you. 🤘😎

[@tessie555]

Thank you for these videos! I listen to them with my coffee and they scratch my astronomy itch pretty well.

[@starmap]

Anton, can you please talk about Pofessor Nikku Madhusudhan discovery about this planet. What has changed since this video was released? 50/50 Chance of LIFE?

[@attrib]

I would also like to know, bc this video confuses me and feels outdated.

[@CharlesB4]

Patience Grasshoppers

[@mortanos8938]

Dear Mr Petrov, thankyou for your explanation. It was very on point and easy to understand for the layman and for that reason I have just subscribed. I may not belong to the "believers" who claim to have seen spacecraft or little green men, but I have always preached that the chance for life out there is higher than the chance that we exist. What a time to be alive

[@ManBikeSwag]

Hi Anton, I've been watching your videos for a while now, and I struggle to hear your voice in the videos. Your audio is very bassy and as a result, your voice is muffled but the bass. I recommend adding some treble or knocking back the bass. Love your content, keep up the great work.

[@kael13]

“But I sound more manly with the craziest cardioid modulation you can use!!!”

[@Gary-Seven-and-Isis-in-1968]

I've always found Anton's audio to be particularly bad on my PC speakers. As you say "Highly distorted". So I always use the cheapest (£10) Bluetooth ear buds to listen to Anton. Shitty compression works wonders and the problem is cured.

[@PNNYRFACE]

Liked and subscribed. I love your channel and videos. Thank you very much 💜

[@charlethemagne5466]

Your videos are awesome and when i first heard of this I instantly went to see if you made a video on it, because you always provide a great scientific analysis without any exaggeration. Thank you!

[@audio3980]

There are 2 things I fear most: 1) We are not alone in the universe, 2) We truly are alone in the Universe.

[@benedict6897]

Being attacked by a bear is also kinda scary

[@audio3980]

@@benedict6897 he’ll take you out quick….you won’t feel a thing.

[@AUniqueHandleName444]

@@benedict6897 yeah not gonna lie I find that one scarier

[@Gary-Seven-and-Isis-in-1968]

So you run about sweating and dribbling a lot. That must be a difficult lifestyle.🤔

[@audio3980]

@@Gary-Seven-and-Isis-in-1968 🤣

[@Ominousheat]

Thanks for your continuing work, Anton. Very inspiring. Just a theory> ( source Wiki ) In industry, dimethyl sulfide is produced by treating hydrogen sulfide with excess methanol over an aluminium oxide catalyst. On a world like K2-18b, if it has a thick atmosphere that touches a rocky crust or mantle the heat from pressure could vaporise aluminium. That is then oxidized and exposed to lightning. Thus producing the catalyst. Methanol we know is abundant in nature as is hydrogen sulphide. All the proverbial elements are there to possibly produce the equivalent industrial-made DMS. Or have I missed a step? Inquiring minds would like to know. Obviously, it would be great to know for sure that there is extraterrestrial life but one does not like to lie to oneself.

[@paulmicks7097]

Great topic , thank you Anton

[@mrwizard8753]

keep up the good work anton you are the best !

[@whodis5438]

To be fair we are still looking for intelligent life on Earth.

[@Quantiad]

There’s plenty. Dolphins, for example, are extremely intelligent.

[@Ryan-eu3kp]

​@@Quantiadummm no..

[@Quantiad]

@@Ryan-eu3kp Yep. Sorry to burst your bubble.

[@Ryan-eu3kp]

@Quantiad My bubble remains unburst. If you think dolphins are intelligent beings, then wow..

[@Quantiad]

@@Ryan-eu3kp If you think they're not then I should leave you in your bubble ;)

[@McBanditHope]

I hear the same technique used to observe the glory on that Hot Jupiter about 2 weeks or so back could also be used to see the glint coming off of exoplanet oceans. Maybe that will give us something more definitive?

[@marknovak6498]

The simplest explanation is the best. Now if we could find CFCs....

[@dr.doodles5524]

These got dam aliens not caring bout the ozone with the "oh but my ac wont work"

[@Animagar.]

​@@dr.doodles5524lmao 🤣

[@free_spirit1]

Oh please give me a break. If we find CFCs most scientists will argue how CFCs can be made by some yet unknown mineral process. If we find city lights they will argue it is some kind of natural chemical process. If something literally lands on our planet they would still convince themselves it's either an illusion or a mass hallucination. No standard of evidence will ever be high enough. If we actually were to find CFCs it would only be accepted by the scientific community as proof of life after most of them die and get replaced by a new generation of scientists. That is the level of dogma we're talking about.

[@mandrewmx]

I'm sure this has been noted but last Friday, 10 days after this video, JSWT focused on K2-18b for 8 straight hours to directly answer what it's actual composition is, maybe Anton didn't look at the observation list but, we will know if it has DMS, also they did detect Oxygen in addition, which when you combine CO2, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Methane, AND DMS... sorry but anyone who denies it as not a biosignature, (once this data collected from 4/27/24) again IF all of these chemicals, molecules, and gasses are present, then just make the argument against then deny Earth has life as its almost a mirrored atmosphere to the planet those deniers are standing on and delusional, because they would simply in denial. Likely down to less than one percent chance it wouldnt be the first proof of exolife, and will be on the wrong side of history. If it comes back otherwise fine, just always saying it can somehow be produced without life then deny your alive because you might as well be brain dead at that point. But again if its not then the search keeps going, but it appears we're getting closer.

[@ronald3836]

See, there might be life on earth, but not intelligent life ;-)

[@berserkasaurusrex4233]

You are way too emotional about this. And jumping to too many conclusions. JWST already looked at K2-18b and found it has a likely dry atmosphere (no water vapor), which is a pretty strong anti-life signature in and of itself. Methane, CO2, Nitrogen, and Oxygen are common substances found on many worlds just in our own star system, and are not particularly significant as biomarkers themselves. The only important finding that brings up the possibility of life on K2-18b is the possible detection of DMS, and we don't know if it's naturally occurring or created by life. We assume it would signal life, as it doesn't appear to naturally occur on Earth, but that doesn't meant there aren't geologic or chemical processes which could naturally generate it outside of life form activity. Other than that, this is a likely small gas planet with a dry atmosphere of mostly hydrogen, orbiting a red dwarf star younger than Earth. It's not particularly suitable for life as we understand it, and may be tidally locked, which would make it even less suitable. It also appears that the lower atmosphere is extremely hot, and would be even more unsuitable for life to evolve.

[@mandrewmx]

@@berserkasaurusrex4233 You've effectively captured the essence of the debate: the detection of DMS may indicate life, but its presence alone isn't conclusive, as non-biological processes might also produce it. Indeed, the detected environment was not one of a dry atmosphere, but one that included water vapor (Idk where you heard it isn’t present but every things I can find that is stated that water vaper was present), oxygen, CO2, and methane, along with a 51% chance of DMS, significantly strengthens the argument for a potentially habitable world. However, your point also stands that the presence of biologically-associated molecules like DMS doesn't definitively prove life; these elements could arise naturally in certain conditions. Anton’s skepticism is clear in his insistence on more data, even though recent observations by the JWST team suggest that these compounds might significantly point toward biological activity. They did train it on the planet, as I stated, last Friday, again, for a further eight hours to make the readings statistically empirical, but we will not know the true composition and how the conditions you stated would affect the possibility for life for at least a few more months Moreover, the existence of a surface ocean, despite the planet orbiting a red dwarf and possibly being tidally locked, does not negate the possibility of life. The arguments about the planetary mass and environmental conditions only add complexity to our understanding rather than conclusively ruling out life. In essence, while observational data continue to mount, the debate remains open, and as Anton exemplifies, even overwhelming evidence might not suffice for some skeptics. Therefore, while exploration and analysis proceed, we must prepare for both ongoing debate and potential disappointment in our quest to definitively prove extraterrestrial life.

[@RHi-xk7nt]

Cool story bro… They also detected a pile of donkey sh*t on the adjacent “planet” The biggest problem with humanity, with think we are more advanced and intelligent than we are.

[@bronson1392]

@@berserkasaurusrex4233you know just as much as my high school daughter…😂😂 James Webb has just got data back and will take 6 months from today to analyse it. So whatever. 🥱🥱🥱

[@minacapella8319]

Thank you for your diligence on these... "sensitive" topics where things get twisted so easily. I was excited that it was possible, but skeptical, and this just makes me more so. Wish we could find out for sure!

[@72APTU72E]

Your channel a standard of what science communication should be on youtube, thanks for your work.

[@ManuelSolanoCastro]

Great video, Anton! One question: in an interview with Professor Nikku Madhusudhan from Cambridge University, he said that the concentration of Dimethyl Sulfide was significantly higher than on Earth. Could this still be considered a hint or is it insignificant?

[@marbleblue5127]

As soon as I saw a headline about this today I came straight to this channel because I knew I'd get the details here.

[@Sadonyx]

I wish I could live to hear about life that can survive on these planets

[@ColdHawk]

Tardigrade clears its throat.

[@dmwalker24]

Thank you for the detailed comparison of the different scenarios. My own background is biology, not physics. I am well aware however, about how ambiguous spectroscopy data can be. Especially when we're talking about such distance from the thing being sampled, and the range of possible conditions that could exist there. I am hopeful we find some proof for life on some exo-planet, but it's important to try to stay objective as you did in your video.

[@realsatoshihashimoto]

I don't think we'll ever be able to prove definitively that life exists on any particular exoplanet until we have the technology to actually get there. There will always be possible alternative explanations. The distances are just too great to definitively prove or disprove that there is life on a possibly habitable planet that far away.

[@yowzephyr]

Yes, exactly. Scientists might get around to saying that a particular exoplanet PROBABLY has life, but they'll never be able to say alien life is definitely there. (Unless the exoplanet emits radio or laser signals or something like that.)

[@andys3035]

I read a study, don't remember exactly the source, but it basically already admitted that any life out there is more than likely microbes and less likely humanoid, sentient beings. The parameters and chances for that life are extremely small and precise.

[@realsatoshihashimoto]

@@andys3035 Seems to me it all hinges on just how common life is in the galaxy. If planets & moons teeming with microbial life for billions of years are very common in the galaxy what would this imply? Well, even very improbable things are likely to happen more than once given enough attempts. In this case I'd expect there to be other bipedal sentient lifeforms out there in the galaxy. If on the other hand planets and moons with microbial life are rare, and/or the conditions to support that life does not tend to exist for very long, I'd expect there to be very few, if any, other examples of bipedal sentient lifeforms elsewhere in the galaxy at this particular time. None of us know the answers to these questions and perhaps we never will.

[@michaelmann8800]

@@andys3035 How did that "study" come to such a conclusion? Our only understanding of "life" is what we see on our own planet. We have no idea what the "parameters" of life actually are. It could look completely different elsewhere. And even if we are talking about life as we know it here on Earth, we have no idea what the chances of it forming are as we don't even understand how it formed here. And just because we don't see any clear evidence of life elsewhere doesn't mean it doesn't exist anywhere else...we haven't even explored the oceans on Europa or Enceladus to determine if those worlds contain the type of water borne life that might seem "familiar" to us, and those two worlds are right in our back yard relatively speaking. Whoever wrote that study you are referencing is engaging in pure speculation.

[@andys3035]

@@michaelmann8800 I apologize, I know my post was a general statement and I wish I had that source still. I do recall it was based on observations of numerous star systems and they pretty much all were uniform with gas giants, planets likely in tidal lock and too close to their parent star to harbor life. One of the statements they made was that any "life" being mostly microbial stems from the idea that we observe how life exists in extremes in the vents our oceans depths. So life can exist in extremes but not enough to become intelligent on a scale like us. On a side note, we may never know simply because of the Fermi Paradox rule that once civilizations come to a certain developmental stage, they tend to wipe themselves out. Just more food for thought.

[@raymondparsley7442]

Thank you Anton, the clarity of your explanations is the best and most interesting.

[@oOIIIMIIIOo]

I like your title 'So is there life on K2-18n or what?'. Greetings from Deutschland. 😄

[@ColdHawk]

The title does have a certain German sensibility about it, no?

[@oOIIIMIIIOo]

@@ColdHawk Yes, OR WHAT? goes along like 'Don't touch my integrity by trying to fool me.' I am talking of the title of the thumbnail btw. 😄

[@antonthemanton3065]

Thanks for the clarification Anton!

[@patrickjanecke5894]

I have significant doubt that life is there. Water is great. CO2 is great. Both in the same place is even better. An overabundance of methane, however, would suggest to me a dead alkane world. If it was ammonia instead, or nitric acid, maybe, but methinks the H to C,N,O elements is beyond help for life to arise there. Colonizing it might be possible, but biogenesis - no.

[@hilliard665]

Why is that? honestly I had to google what an alkane was, I may not understand it but I'm very interested lol. Could you expand on why methane would make you lean toward "dead alkane" world? Just trying to increase my media (& scientific) literacy

[@jerryboics9550]

Yeah, the bar is set extremely low (the most basic bacteria would count) but we can't even find that..

[@patrickjanecke5894]

@hilliard665 Sure. An excess of hydrogen would change the probabilities of varied and complex interactions in carbon molecules. It's not that they never happen, but they become rare. Instead, you are left with single bonded carbon chains - the greater the hydrogen imbalance, the smaller the chain. Nitrogen would favor ammonia over interactions with carbon and oxygen. The larger the terrestrial planet, the higher the escape velocity for atmospheric gasses. A planet that can hold onto H2 in abundance can also maintain methane in the upper atmosphere indefinitely.

[@HZ1S]

The reason I know what I know about space and whatever you see above is because of you Anton for me there is only one person I rely to harness knowledge of news ,current events ,discovery and so on that is you thank you brother…

[@DUDEDRUNK]

🐑

[@garysimon7765]

Hopefully when life is found. It will not be smarter than us. Actually i kind of pity any life humans may encounter.

[@paran0idgaming595]

Why does professor Nikku Madhusudhan, astrophysicist from Cambridge University, put the probability of DMS existing on K2-18b on 50/50? From what you are saying, the probability is extremely small.

[@Rocksidion]

What is it in that study that determines that statistic?

[@paran0idgaming595]

@@Rocksidion I don't know exactly how he arrived at those values. I do know that professor Nikku Madhusudhan is one of the researchers that is credited with making the discovery concerning DMS existence on K2-18b, and he says it's a 50/50 probability. However, i am inclined to take Anton Petrov viewpoint that the actual probability is much lower than what Nikku said in his interview. I was wondering in Anton could address that statement.

[@Rocksidion]

@@paran0idgaming595 guess we'll know if that's true or not in some months then.

[@RandyMoe]

Of course we will find life. In many places.

[@jrr3787]

I doubt it. I have no doubt that life is out there, but the distances are too vast for us to have any chance of detecting it. It's a non-zero chance, but extremely unlikely.

[@Bildgesmythe]

Life may be in many places, but I doubt we'll find it.

[@chelseyschimmelman9999]

Earth is alive. Our food is alive. Regardless Green or Meat. Everything is alive. Outside of our Earth? Nah. This is a special world

[@aono335]

@@Bildgesmythe Your doubt is based on nothing logical nor scientific, I’m afraid.

[@danielkrcmar5395]

​@@aono335 Science is on his side. The probability of life being created is so small the predicted time it would take for such an event is longer than the age of the universe.

[@rafaelalexie2417]

Only Wonderful Anton can make news that is not noteworthy into an entertaining and informative video. It makes me sad that every week we find another planet that might have certain features conducive to life, but in actuality we are not even sure of our accuracy of the measurements or if what we have observed can be a sign of life or regular geological proceses... it's getting tiring

[@eerohughes]

I'm so tired of these false finds. I wish we would just find concrete solid evidence of life already.

[@SethHixie]

Lucky for you, we did! There's this super rare planet called Earth, located about 1 AU from the sun

[@omnijack]

Look on the bright side: when it IS discovered, the discovery will be something more concrete than “We may have found hints that maybe microbes might possibly be in the atmosphere of this one planet.” (They might even use the word “definitely”.)

[@davidva8694]

It’s not a false find, it was just released before it should’ve been

[@harrynewiss4630]

Patience grasshopper

[@phillip6083]

The only concrete evidence we're gonna get is when we have a wiggly alien worm in hand.

[@gcoffey223]

One of the best channels on youtube

[@TheYear2525]

It's actually too bad, that when everyone (especially the media) shouts DMS or Phosphine you need to roll your eyes and be very level headed because it almost certainly is just a hype and blown out of proportion. Unfortunately - because if true, it would be really cool.

[@jennyvanderwart315]

Thank you you for your explanation!

[@jimstark1810]

We know far too little about life on our own planet and are constantly surprised by where we find it here and how it can find a way to exist in places we consider extreme. We also have a problem clearly defining what is alive or what life exactly is. We have a lot to learn here first.

[@kaoskronostyche9939]

I don't know where you get these out-dated ideas. We know quite a bit about life and there is an entire field devoted to the understanding of it - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. Moreover, we have a pretty good definition of life as we know it and it works pretty well. HINT: Viruses are not alive. You really should keep up - there is more to science than astronomy .

[@iamsuzerain3987]

​@@kaoskronostyche9939whether or not viruses are "alive" is still unsettled science. There's also more to science than "organic chemistry". It's true that we have made great strides in our understanding of the Earth and the processes of life here but let's not pat ourselves on the back too enthusiastically...there is A LOT that we don't know

[@Pengun3]

@@kaoskronostyche9939 Your idea is actually quite outdated and narrow minded. There's more to discovering life and understanding it then simple chemistry, also it has been very recently debated if certain viruses are alive, due to their size and complexity. These virus's being discovered only in the last year or so. Furthermore it was only a few months ago that a Japanese science team found bacteria and life that was thousands of years old, miles beneath an ocean floor, a place they didn't expect to find anything. So there is actually much we still need to learn about life. Also keep in mind we've only really been studying the field and understanding it for a little over a century, which is next to nothing.

[@chipbutty3645]

@@iamsuzerain3987viruses are not considered alive because they do not produce energy

[@geneticjen9312]

​@@kaoskronostyche9939 Might want to dial down the arrogance. The study of life is called biology. Organic chemistry is the study of carbon compounds. I don't think your confidence is justified. Are you suggesting if we found viruses from another world, it wouldn't be evidence of life? You don't think RNA would be evidence of life? It's not that we know little or life on Earth; it's that we know little about abiogenesis generally and how it could happen on other worlds

[@Domzdream]

Love your videos. You’re brilliant!

[@kaarlimakela3413]

Anton never hands us any B.S. 👍 Just like my Mom. ❤

[@SuperBroncosguy]

Well methane.....might mean bs.

[@yvonnemiezis5199]

Interesting knowledge, thanks 👍😊

[@foetaltreborus2017]

Still don't "get' WHY are we not flying balloons in the Venus atmosphere RIGHT NOW looking for life on our own back yard...

[@daaaaaaanny]

Funding is almost always the answer to "why arent we doing x research right now"

[@FrankKrausz]

I like the superheated ocean -- just where Zaphod Beeblebrox and friends would go for a nice hot soak.

[@cjm8943]

JWST is doing a MIRI observation 1 week from now (April 25th/26th), so within a few months we'll have more papers about this. But regardless of that, even in an unlikely scenario that JWST manages to discover every possible biomarker here, it still won't count as discovery of life because we will never be able to rule out that some combination of natural processes that no one's ever thought about isn't responsible for this. The only way to actually discover extrasolar life will be to fly a spacecraft there, land, collect samples and send back an actual photograph of a microbe. Which will probably never happen.

[@chistinelane]

And that's the problem with the way we search for life. Skepticism is undefeatable. If it's possible through life, it's almost always possible through something else, and our current mentality is to fall back on that no matter what. "it's never aliens... And it never will be aliens"

[@Yash_15-r2i]

Maybe NASA has already found life on other planets but they are not revealing.

[@ruperterskin2117]

Right on. Thanks for sharing.

[@megamushroom]

1:13 today i learned: life isnt natural

[@JohnDingus_16]

Well as of right now it seems to not be natural. We may be the only planet with life, we are the outlier.

[@megamushroom]

@@JohnDingus_16 oh ok

[@zulunet3285]

​@@JohnDingus_16definitely not.

[@TartanArmy2K]

Nice presentation. Fascinating.

[@ratiquette]

2:47 Managed Democracy with Neptunian characteristics

[@Auroral_Anomaly]

😭😭

[@JamesQMurphy]

Malevolent Creek

[@PePethePedalPusher]

The whole DNS and Organo-compounds bothers me because we just comfortably assume because we found creatures that produce it, they must be the only source of it on the planet, that it can't occur through any other process we don't yet understand or under conditions we've never seen/experienced. To me it's like saying 'There's water because it rains'. Okay, but where did the rain come from? How was that produced? From other, naturally occurring compounds? Meh, it just doesn't excited me to even find life out there....that's assumed, i thought. The trick is, has any advanced beyond us or enough to attempt communications?

[@Timbo6669]

The dark forest solution from _The three body problem_ is becoming more scary and real for me.

[@alexrator7674]

But that's only possible if intelligent life is common in the first place

[@Deletirium]

I think as possibilities go, that one's lower on the list of solutions to the Fermi Paradox. The universe seems awfully young for an overwhelmingly dominant force to have evolve to a degree where they're a galactic threat...

[@entity_unknown_]

It's not the dark forest, there is no paradox we are all going to die. I think 99.9% of all species are extinct, in 100 years we may be too. It's not that civilization doesn't happen out there but it's rare, very short-lived and leads to extinction on a large timeline covering millions of years it could have happened multiple times on Earth and we wouldn't even know. It's an easy solution, there are no "evolved" beings just the weapons we create, the wars then we will go silent in the future just like the past it's dead out there

[@entity_unknown_]

The fermi paradox predicates itself on the notion that intelligence and civilization is long-lived and able to cross vast distances unscathed. I think that's a little optimistic, given for everything humanity has done our' wars threaten it all the time and advanced technology may be a boon for your lifespan, it also innovates greater ways of hastening our' extinction

[@economicprisoner]

@@entity_unknown_ You describe one of the reasons the fermi parabox is so scary. That lack of contact implies than civilizations are NOT long-lived, or able to cross vast distances.

[@seanparker4461]

You are the arch wonderful person, Anton!!!

[@Swampzoid]

Greetings splendiferous human

[@mikeharrington5593]

Anton didn't explain what the apparent "hint" of DMS on KT18b is. DMS exists in tiny concentrations on Earth so perhaps such concentration is difficult to confirm on the distant KT18b.

[@rezadaneshi]

Most likely first contact. Hand shake, gifts exchanged, conspiracy to accuse it of being a fraud, Abandonment, back to normal

[@hugegamer5988]

Then the classic wait for stealth asteroids to come in at a good % of the speed of light. From us or to us or both.

[@danielkrcmar5395]

When you take the probability of life creation and then the fact that we've spent less than 40 years looking for planetary life, have discovered only a minute fraction of planets in foreign solar systems and then looked in depth at even fewer of those possible planets, I'd have thought it almost impossible that we've found a plant with life on it.

[@JamesStripling-qi7km]

When taking into account what it took for this planet to host life and what it took for life to arise here, the probability that we will encounter any other life is astronomically low.

[@markrix]

They still havent figured put the methane cycle on mars... Hmmm ok yup u got it

[@degreyt1685]

Is it possible that there are microbes that are extremophiles?

[@user58541]

Yes

[@StickySyrupEverywhere]

Most people do appreciate forewarning about methane from Uranus.

[@Chill_Mode_JD]

💨

[@axle.student]

Is that an indicator that Uranus may contain signs of bacterial life?

[@StickySyrupEverywhere]

@@axle.student That indicator of decay is proof positive

[@axle.student]

@@StickySyrupEverywhere lol Poor Anton. We persist with the Uranus jokes :) All in good fun and for giggles I hope.

[@JessicaPhillips-x9l]

Ha ha 😂

[@xepherial4725]

Thanks for delivering truth instead of sensationalism.

[@Blues.Fusion]

Methane? Gas giant? It's a giant space fart.

[@ChiefBridgeFuser]

10:04 "a lot of methane on Uranus". Yes, space fart checks out.

[@Kevin_Street]

Thank you for this video! We can always count of you for the real story.

[@JuanCarlosbarquero-f3e]

Wouldn't it be bad if we find out we, humans, are destroying one of the really rare planets in the universe with intelligent life? Perhaps we ought to redefine "intelligence"?

[@erazerhead99]

Its extremely unlikely to be rare. But its sad nontheless

[@OliverGrumitt]

As the late scientist Carl Sagan said (I believe it was Carl Sagan) said, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and no claim about finding alien life should be made until or unless such extraordinary evidence emerges. Until then, it is right that one should be skeptical although not ruling it out altogether is right as well - the fact is space is vast and we may never find evidence of life elsewhere, as that life may simply be too far away to be detectable. One will just have to wait and see.

[@the80hdgaming]

Lots of CH4??? Alien cows??? 👽🐄🐮

[@DaxterAs]

Great video! Love it Anton!

[@ihopethiscommentisntabusiv4670]

I'd love to be a scientist with a specialty in "poo-pooing on other's findings"

[@Bildgesmythe]

Peer-review is what makes science work.

[@flaparoundfpv8632]

Those two things are the same thing.

[@zephyramethyst9455]

the whole point of the scientific method is peer-review and replication, if scientists didn’t try to disprove things then we wouldn’t be able to reliably confirm anything and technological progress as we know it wouldn’t exist

[@cyrus8886]

Alien farts

[@thatswhatithought6519]

Thanos fart

[@EddieTheH]

​@@thatswhatithought6519 Thanos was right.

[@dukemetzger3784]

That is what I like about this channel! You really lay out the facts and let us know what the real answer is. While I find this topic fascinating, I really wish they would seriously look at some planets that are more like ours as that is one of the things James Webb can do!

[@FvGa]

Ever since I learned that without teleportation we are useless in space exploration these sort of discoveries don't rock my boat anymore.

[@OfSoulAndSin]

I remember a scientist saying something to the effect of “pond scum is probably abundant” in the universe. This video brought that back. FWIW.

[@dariusx2589]

I heard the amount of DMS discovered was 3x that of what we have in our atmosphere, any thoughts on that?

[@Rocksidion]

What study says this?

[@dariusx2589]

@@Rocksidion Professor Nikku Madhusudhan claimed that, I haven't read any studies on this matter yet.

[@randokaratajev2617]

Can you make a video about different forms of information we gather from other planets and how long it take for each type to reach us? Or are all observations done based on the light that has reached us? If not and they have slight delays, it would make an interesting topic to hear about. Because in my head it feels like we (for example) see one era visually, but statistically we have gathered details of even later eras, since light is the fastest to reach us. This is purely my assumption based on the belief that not all observations/studies are made using light

[@ProfShibe]

Love your videos and the non biased approach in them. Don’t ever stop 🫡

[@ako1439]

How are scientists distinguishing between the varying gasses? Do they read the different colours with high-precision equipment?

[@AmusedGermanShepherd-er5gp]

The James Webb telescope has just finished an exploration and the findings will be released in the next few months. The head of the team exploring this exoplanet says the chances of life will be 50/50. With the methane and co2 and with no ammonia detected showing a large ocean. The dms levels are looking a lot higher then our planet which makes sense due to the size of the planet. Fingers crossed we get a definitive answer. The ramifications would be ground breaking.

[@Jd12812]

5 months later..

[@nickrider5220]

I'm not sure many people are ready for confirmation of life elsewhere in the Milky way. With almost limitless conditions and situations available within our present model of the universe, it's more likely than not that life in some form exists elsewhere...are our forms of life the only template, probably not, different conditions would favour different forms....so many unanswerable questions !

[@sirsnufflepuffson1647]

Just a thought could it also be that we are not getting the full data from our observations? The distance and other objects and processes of the universe could limit or enhance what we receive back from the telescope, right?

[@nilo70]

Thank you Anton , for making this happen. My fingers are crossed !

[@anonymouswoman9629]

@antonpetrov question: what do you think of the professor’s statement that it can be ”50/50” chance that the Discovery means Life? (I think the prof’s interview was after your video here). Would love an update video from you, commenting on that. :-) Love ur videos. Thanks 🙏 😊

[@RV-oo6dh]

Are they Green with antennae?

[@iambrea]

What about the one from like 3 days ago?

[@lionoforion]

Ha. We’ve made it! Congratulations to the believers. ❤

[@alksoft]

Dat your smile at the end is best.

[@globaleducation0]

Life on K2-18b? Sounds like the start of an epic space adventure!

[@AngelaAmaryllis]

I hope some life is found on a planet during my lifetime. I really want to get the privilage of watching the very first discovery channel style show series all about 'alien animals', how they survive, how they interact, and how they effect their ecosystem. I want to watch them eat, mate, travel, etc. Finding alien fossils on a planet would be cool too though.

[@SuperBroncosguy]

In other words, not a lot.

[@robertsteele474]

Just remember "...when you're feeling very small and insecure, how amazingly unlikely is your birth. And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space, 'cause there's bugger all down here on Earth!"

[@Fangman123789]

I think itd be best for us to thoroughly check our solar system first, because if we find microbial life on Titan for example, obviously that would signifigantly boost the probability of life in other solar systems. I would bet that intelligent life is much more rare or difficult to sustain to a certain degree but that microbial life is more common. Thats just my opinion/hope though, its so exciting getting to be alive during our initial searches for life elsewhere in the universe. I truly hope we get to see some amazing discoveries that at least help answer some of these questions.

[@bertietheboy]

You're the best Anton.