A new study suggests we could be a step closer to figuring out if alien life is out there, trillions of miles away from Earth. It’s based on observations recorded by the James Webb Space Telescope of an exoplanet called K2-18 b.

In a potential landmark discovery, scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have obtained what they call the strongest signs yet of possible life beyond our solar system, detecting in an alien planet's atmosphere the chemical fingerprints of gases that on Earth are produced only by biological processes.

The potential discovery of life elsewhere is down to the unprecedented sensitivity of Nasa's James Webb Space Telescope. Launched in 2021, it has enabled researchers to analyse the atmospheres of far-away worlds with remarkable precision, pushing the boundaries of what was once thought possible.