Starship Asterisk*

Maddeningly clickbaity title on this YouTube video https://youtu.be/Bj0PXPeKJRE?si=jODP4ockVTI_6n6v, but the host does a decent job interviewing Nikku Madhusudhan, the Cambridge scientist working on K2-18 (the exoplanet with atmospheric water and methane, covered a couple times by APOD). As a legit astrophysist, Madhusudhan shocked me by estimating a 50-50 chance of the planet hosting life. He also notes that virtually all the space telescopes are working on this right now.

Some of the incremental (but meaty) new data is noted in this (also clickbaity) earth.com article. K2-18 is showing way more than just methane at this point): https://www.earth.com/news/planet-k2-18 ... d-by-life/

Often, in astronomy, high hopes are immediately doused with buckets of water.

But we can keep our fingers crossed for solid evidence.