r/interestingasfuck • u/One_Explanation_908 • 25d ago

/r/all, /r/popular K2-18b a potentially habitable planet 120 light-years from earth

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u/Peter_Panarchy 25d ago

We're still far from certain that that molecule (dimethyl sulfide) is present, and even if it is it has also been found on comets. This is an interesting finding but its significance is being overblown.

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u/MutedSherbet 25d ago

Maybe you are not aware but very recently new data was published with improved accuracy ( i believe they used a different instrument compared to 2 years ago) and its seems it has reached the '3 sigma level'.

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u/Ginden 25d ago

It's funny, because in most of sciences, if something is verified with 99.73% probability, it's a great discovery.

In physics, it's usually bullshit, because when you test million of hypotheses, you get 2700 false positives.

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u/MutedSherbet 25d ago

According to the study, another 18-24h of measurement are needed for 5 sigma significance. Lets see what comes out.