Promising exoplanet may not be habitable ocean world after all.

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    • Subject Terms:
      OCEAN; DIMETHYL sulfide; WATER vapor; EXTRATERRESTRIAL life; MARINE phytoplankton
    • Abstract:
      A recent study has cast doubt on the habitability of a distant exoplanet called K2-18b. Previously believed to be a potential ocean world with the potential for alien life, new analysis using data from the James Webb Space Telescope suggests that the planet is more likely a gas-rich mini-Neptune with no defined surface. The presence of methane and carbon dioxide observed by the telescope indicates that the gases would be broken down if the planet had an ocean, making it less likely to support life. The researchers propose two possibilities: either the planet is a mini-Neptune or a "Hycean world" inhabited by methanogenic life. [Extracted from the article]
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