English Language · English

Comprehension: Read the given passage and answer the question that follows. 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. Detection of the chemicals, dimethyl sulphide (DMS) and dimethyl disulphide (DMDS) would not amount to proof of alien biological activity but could bring the answer to the question of whether we are alone in the universe much closer. 'This is the strongest evidence to date for a biological activity beyond the solar system,' said Professor Nikku Madhusudhan, an astrophysicist at the University of Cambridge who led the observations. 'We are very cautious. We have to question ourselves both on whether the signal is real and what it means.' He added: 'Decades from now, we may look back at this point in time and recognise that it was when the living universe came within reach. This could be the tipping point, where suddenly the fundamental question of whether we're alone in the universe is one we're capable of answering.' Others are more sceptical, with questions remaining about whether the overall conditions on K2-18 b are favourable to life and whether DMS and DMDS, which are largely produced by marine phytoplankton on Earth, can be reliably regarded as biosignatures. K2-18 b is nearly nine times as massive as the Earth and 2.6 times as large. Based on the passage, which of the following statements is true?