Meet India – The former scientist Dr. Nikku Madhusudhan, who searches for life on distant exoplanets
Born in India in 1980, Dr. Nikku Madhusudhan is now a leader in exoplanetary science and has spent years studying the alien world. Now, he leads a global team to become one of the most exciting discoveries in astronomy: potential signs of life on planets outside our solar system.
That planet is K2-18B – 12 light years away, shrouded in a warm atmosphere and may be filled with alien microorganisms.
The life of the stars
Dr. Madhusudhan grew up and educated in India and graduated from BTECH in Varanasi IIT-Bhu. He continued to complete his master’s and doctoral degrees at MIT, where he studied under the leadership of the renowned Dr. Sara Seager, one of the pioneers of a prestigious research series.
Today, he is a professor at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge University. His work focuses on the formation of exoplanets and the composition of atmospheres, and how these distant worlds support life. His research has been recognized by the European Astronomical Society and the International Union for Pure and Applied Physics.
But, not just titles or praises, his imagination sets him apart. In 2021, he coined the term “Hycean Planets”, a world covered by the ocean and was invisible in a hydrogen-rich sky. He believes that K2-18B may be one of them.
A planet that may still be alive
K2-18B is more than any exoplanet. This is a subarctic, about 8.6 times the mass of Earth, orbiting a cool dwarf star in the Leo sign. It was first discovered in 2017, but it really became very interesting until Dr. Madhusudhan’s team pointed out the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). They discovered something shocking: dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in the Earth’s atmosphere. On Earth, this chemical is produced only by biological plants Plankton.
“The best explanation for our observation is that K2-18B is covered with warm oceans and is filled with life,” Dr. Madhusudhan said in a press conference.
Still, he urged. “Actually claiming that we have discovered that life is the benefit of no one.”
DMS is not alone. The telescope also detects dimethyl disulfide (DMD), methane, carbon dioxide and even water vapor, which can enhance elements of the potential habitable environment.
“This is the strongest evidence,” he told the BBC. “If the connection to life is real, then the planet will be full of life.”
Signals worth listening to
The results are statistically robust. DMS detection has reached the “three rocks” level, which means that the chance of this signal is only 0.3%. This is not a sure proof, but requires the “five sigma” level to be confirmed – but it is enough to sit up scientists around the world.
This is not the first time this planet has attracted people’s attention. In earlier studies, DMS, methane and carbon dioxide were also found, marking the first carbon-containing molecules found in the atmosphere of external laymen in habitable areas.
Earlier this year, Dr. Madhusudhan said: “Early theoretical work predicted that there might be a high level of sulfur-based gases and DMDs on Hycean Worlds, and now we have observed this, in line with what is predicted.”
He added: “Given what we know about this planet, a sea world with life is the best scenario for the data we have.”
Overall: Are we alone?
This discovery makes new life one of the deepest mysteries of modern science: the Fermi Paradox. If the universe is huge and full of planets that can host life, why haven’t we seen clear signs yet?
Dr. Madhusudhan’s findings did not answer this question. But they may be the beginning of the answer.
“It should basically be confirmed that living in the galaxy is very common,” he told the BBC. If further observations verify the existence of life on K2-18B, it could mean that we are always surrounded by the living world, not the smart world, or that we can easily find out.
The road ahead is long but exciting. Dr. Madhusudhan and his team plan to continue learning K2-18B using JWST and other upcoming observatories. They are also investigating whether DMS and DMD can be generated in abiotic processes through observed levels.
“It’s important that we have deep doubts about our results,” he said. “Because we can get to the point where we have confidence in them only when we test it again. That’s how science works.”
But there is no doubt that – the meaning is huge.
If confirmed, this is probably the most important scientific discovery of our lives: the first concrete evidence that we are not alone.
(Input with TOI)
