Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Space
Space
Science
Paul Sutter

James Webb Space Telescope could find signs of life on alien 'hycean' ocean worlds

Artist's illustration of the view from the seas of a potentially habitable "Hycean" exoplanet.

Hycean worlds, which are a possible kind of exoplanet with deep oceans surrounded by a thick envelope of hydrogen, could provide the best chance for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to detect biosignatures, according to a new study.

Those potential signs of life are a group of chemicals called methyl halides, which on Earth are produced by some bacteria and ocean algae.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.