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#Repost///@futurism: The moment we've all been waiting for ~might~ be closer than we thought.⁠As @arstechnica reported, a persistent rumor among the scientific community that the James Webb Space Telescope found a planet with strong signs of life has hit a new high. A lot of the hype may be overblown, but at the very least the speculation reflects the space telescope's extraordinary promise in the field of exobiology.⁠⁠Though a NASA official told Ars that no "definitive evidence" has been found so far, they acknowledged the possibility of a huge discovery on the horizon that — huge bummer here — would take years worth of followup research to confirm.⁠⁠"It is anticipated that JWST observations may lead to the initial identification of potential biosignatures that could make habitability more or less likely for a given exoplanet," Knicole Colón, the James Webb's deputy project scientist for exoplanet science, told Ars. "Future missions will be needed to conclusively establish the habitability of an exoplanet."⁠⁠It's an answer worded to tamp down any out-of-control rumors, but it certainly leaves the door open to some exciting possibilities.⁠⁠The hype stems from the telescope's detection of a potential biosignature on the exoplanet K2-18 b last year, a suspected ocean world around 8.6 times more massive than Earth and approximately 120 light years away.⁠⁠