Numerous ongoing and upcoming space missions indicate that a new space race has begun for the greatest scientific discovery of all time.
Dr. Catherine Heymans, head of the Royal Observatory of Scotland, says, "We live in an infinite universe filled with countless stars and planets, and many of us are convinced that we cannot be the only intelligent life here. We now have the technology and capability to answer the question of whether we are alone in the universe."
Telescopes can now analyze the atmospheres of planets orbiting distant stars to search for chemicals that are known to be produced only by living organisms on Earth.
The first sign of such a discovery was made earlier this month.
The first hint of a gas produced by simple marine organisms on Earth was detected in the atmosphere of a planet named K2-18b, located 120 light-years away.
The planet is situated in the region astronomers call the "Goldilocks zone."
The planet is at just the right distance from its star, where the surface temperature is neither too hot nor too cold, allowing water to exist in a liquid state, which is crucial for supporting life.
The team that made the discovery hopes to confirm the exciting clues within a year.
"Over the next five years, there will be a 'big transformation' in what we know about the universe."
Prof. Nikku Madhusudhan, from the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, who led the research, said that confirming the clues "would radically change what we know about the search for life."
Madhusudhan told the BBC, "If we find traces of life on the first planet we investigate, it will increase the likelihood of life being widespread in the universe."
He foresees a "big transformation" in what we know about the universe over the next five years.
If the team cannot find traces of life on K2-18b, they will continue their research with ten planets in the Goldilocks zone initially, and likely with others later on.
Even the absence of evidence for life could provide "important insights into the possibility of life on such planets."
This project is just one of many projects searching for signs of life in the universe.
Some of these projects explore planets within our Solar System, while others reach much farther into the depths of space.
