JWST May Detect Life on Hycean Planets Via Methyl Halides Infant Planets Offer Clues to Solar System Formation

A new study suggests the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) could detect biosignatures on hycean planets, a type of exoplanet with deep oceans and hydrogen-rich atmospheres. Researchers propose that methyl halides, produced by microbial ocean life, could be more easily detectable than oxygen. Hycean planets are hypothetical, but JWST has found evidence supporting their existence. Separately, astronomers have captured unprecedented images of protoplanets orbiting the star PDS 70, located 370 light-years away. Using the Magellan Adaptive Optics Xtreme (MagAO-X) instrument, researchers observed changes in the brightness of the protoplanets, indicating turbulent growth. These observations offer insights into planet formation and moon development, potentially mirroring the early stages of our solar system.