James Webb Telescope discovers CO2 on Exoplanet

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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured the first clear evidence for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet outside the solar system. This observation of a gas giant planet orbiting a Sun-like star 700 light-years away provides important insights into the composition and formation of the planet. The finding, accepted for publication in Nature, offers evidence that in the future Webb may be able to detect and measure carbon dioxide in the thinner atmospheres of smaller rocky planets.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/20 ... atmosphere

This is the first time CO2 has been officially detected on an exoplanet. The discovery takes NASA one step closer to demonstrating life exists on other planets outside of our solar system.

and/or leading to some choice arguments about when life might be present!

One step closer. If they can detect CO2 then one day they might be able to detect chlorophyll.

If carbon dioxide can be detected around an Earth-sized planet orbiting in its primary's 'Goldilocks' zone, then terrestrial life MAY not be the only life in the universe.

Another possibility is where higher life forms might be harvesting energy from nuclear reactions on their own suns. The presence of large energy harvesting objects blocking the sun have been postulated
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg ... structure/

Pure speculation, requiring artificial gravity technology, high tensile-strength materials, and the ability to dismantle entire planets.

Sticking with what we already know, an Earth-sized planet a nitrox atmosphere orbiting in its primary's 'Goldilocks' zone will likely have liquid water and the necessary minerals to support life -- even if future generations must colonize it from Earth..

The presence of surface water would surely guarantee life given there are seeds of life hurtling through space
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals ... F6128DC4E4

I think they’ve found organic chemical compounds in comets.

But that’s quite a bit different from life, right?

Current research have put probes into the ionosphere via balloons have collected cryogenically preserved bacterial spores capable of travelling through space

In addition bacteria have been found growing on space stations in zero gravity and zero oxygen

Mmm. So, naturally-occurring Earth bacteria which ride on upward air currents end up kind of flash-frozen in the upper atmosphere?

Can you give a reference?

Actually not just that. There is a chance some of the bacteria may not have originated from earth
https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/new-s ... e-station/

Interesting the probes collecting spores in the ionosphere have also picked up unusual life forms
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/extrater ... _n_2500008

Thanks.

The comet fragment collected by Dr Chandra in 2013 contains photosynthetic diatoms



Given the comet fragment originates from outside of the solar system and the silicaceous structures are indisputably diatoms then I am a little surprised why he hasn't been acknowledged by science as the first man to discover extraterrestrial life?

As the article demonstrates: there is no evidence that he made such a discovery.

His "diatoms" if thats what they are, are likely of terrestrial origin.

Comets have elliptical orbits out to a large fraction of the distance to the next star, and then they come back into the inner solar system where they may well get contaminated with inner solar system dust, including the "freeze dried" microrganisms described in the article that leave our own upper atmosphere, and contaminate space like dander.


Get real... the guy's claims have to be taken with pillars of salt. Enough pillars of salt to hold up the roof of the Parthenon.

Oh, c'mon.. you don't believe we're the only planet in the universe with life, do you?? Of all the infinite possibilities out there.. combined with the fact that many of the ingredients of life on Earth were seeded here by falling rocks from the stars..

Yes, what you are saying makes sense if these were anaerobic bacterial spores which might have hitched a ride from our solar system when the comet entered our solar system. The problem is that diatoms are oxygenic and photosynthetic which now becomes problematic as to how they could have survived on a comet and where they came from as diatoms can't survive in space.

Comets contain ice/water and the temperature may just be high enough for a colony of diatoms to survive.
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/comet-ocean/en/
https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1986acm..proc..359H

I've done three years of microbiology