Wednesday, July 30, 2025

So much for K2-18

Anyone who still cares about K2-18 has, like its planet, no life.

The planet "b" still holds interest as a waterworld without, it seems, steam. They say it is a "cold trap". The abstract spots methane and carbon-dioxide, and no ammonia nor carbon-monoxide. So there may be hydrogen in that atmosphere - they say. Although they don't say they spot that hydrogen in the noise.

The molecules they do see could recombine into the "DMS" reported in earlier studies, at trace amounts - without life. But they don't replicate even that.

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