David Kipping

So then it becomes unfalsifiable.

So we're sort of leaving the world of science.

But I think when we think about as a scientist, like we're doing this experiment with JWST for exoplanets, like we are looking for life right now with James Webb and

There was even a claim for a planet K2-18b.

There was a claim a few months ago.

It's an ocean world.

It's thought to be an ocean world.

It's about two and a half times the size of the Earth.

And we detected this molecule with weak significance.

I want to emphasize that.

It was only weakly detected, called dimethyl sulfide.

And I think it's the same molecule which gives truffles that smell that they have.

And it's something that bacteria and phytoplankton make on the Earth.

So they detected the hint of this molecule, and as far as we know, only life can make this molecule on the Earth.

We don't have any other process that can make it except for living creatures.

And so it was a lot of excitement about that.

And it turned out, in that case, with follow-up observations, it maybe is not as secure as they thought.

It actually doesn't appear to be there anymore.

But I guess the point is that James Webb can do the experiment.

It is sensitive enough to look at a planet which is 100 light years away and detect the molecular signatures of living creatures on that planet.