Far planet may already support life - 12th May 2025

Experts may have found life on another planet. But the planet, K2-18b, is 7,000 trillion miles from Earth.

The team, from the Cambridge University Institute of Astronomy, made the discovery with the help of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This advanced telescope informed them about the atmosphere of the planet, which is 7,000 trillion miles away.

Its atmosphere is made up of the molecules dimethyl sulphide (DMS) and dimethyl disulphide (DMDS). On Earth, simple living organisms can produce these two molecules.

Professor Nikku Madhusudhan, who's leading the team, explained, "This is the strongest evidence yet there is life out there." It's actually the second time chemicals have been found, which appears to add support to the team's theory.

The gas around the planet is thought to be much greater than Earth's. This has led Professor Madhusudhan to suppose that the planet might be full of life.

However, scientists from Cambridge and around the world warn people to be cautious about the findings. Others in the field are questioning if chemicals have been found and whether K2-18b's actually a planet. NASA scientist Dr Nicolas Wogan has written a paper which suggests that it could simply consist of gas.

In the world of science, experts like to be 99.99 percent correct but these results are only 99.7 percent.

For now, scientists are relying on the JWST because to check it would take 190,000 years to reach K2-18b on the fastest rocket.

Interactive Games

tried

What's the word you hear?

Complete the sentences. Listen and write the missing word. There are up to 10 questions.

Listening
play game
tried

Sentence muddle

Read the sentences. Put them in the same order as the news report. There are 4 sentences.

Reading
play game
tried

Prepositions

Complete the sentences. Select the correct preposition. There are up to 4 questions.

Vocabulary and Grammar
play game
tried

Construct sentences

Make sentences. Select each word in the correct order. There are up to 3 questions.

Writing
play game
tried

What's the phrase you hear?

Complete the sentences. Listen and write the missing phrase. There are up to 5 questions.

Listening
play game
tried

Verbs

Complete the sentences. Select the correct verb. There are 5 questions.

Vocabulary and Grammar
play game
tried

No spaces in text

Read the sentences. Find the spaces between the words. There are up to 5 questions.

Reading
play game
tried

No capital letters

Read the sentences. Find the missing capital letters. There are 5 sentences.

Vocabulary and Grammar
play game
tried

Put the sentence back together

Put the sentence parts in the correct order. Each sentence is in 4 pieces. There are up to 5 questions.

Reading
play game
tried

Comprehension

Answer questions about the news report. Select the correct answer from 4 options. There are 5 questions.

Reading
play game
tried

Spelling jumble

The letters of one word are in the wrong order. Read the sentence. Spell the word correctly. There are up to 10 questions.

Vocabulary and Grammar
play game
tried

Missing vowels

Complete the sentences. Select the correct vowel for each space. There are up to 5 sentences.

Vocabulary and Grammar
play game
tried

Missing words

Complete the sentences. Select the correct word. There are up to 5 questions.

Writing
play game
tried

Adjectives

Read the sentence. Select the missing word. Check your answer.

Vocabulary
play game
tried

Prepositions

Complete the sentences. Select the correct preposition. There are up to 5 questions.

Vocabulary
play game
tried

Nouns

Complete the sentences. Select the correct noun. There are up to 5 questions.

Vocabulary
play game
tried

Verbs

Complete the sentences. Select the correct verb. There are up to 5 questions.

Vocabulary
play game
tried

Linking ideas

Complete the sentences. Select the correct linking word. There are up to 5 questions.

Vocabulary
play game

Study Tools