Scientists hail ‘strongest evidence’ so far for life beyond our solar system

Astrophysics team say observation of chemical compounds may be ‘tipping point’ in search for extraterrestrial life

Researchers have discovered molecules on a distant planet in deep space, in a breakthrough that could have the biggest impact on science since the Big Bang. Picture: A. Smith/N. Mandhusudhan/University of Cambridge/PA Wire

A giant planet 124 light years from Earth has yielded the strongest evidence yet that extraterrestrial life may be thriving beyond our solar system, astronomers claim.

Observations by the James Webb space telescope of a planet called K2-18 b appear to reveal the chemical fingerprints of two compounds that, on Earth, are only known to be produced by life.