Recent announcements regarding potential signs of life on K2-18b and Mars generated significant media attention, but a survey of astrobiologists reveals cautious optimism. Only a small percentage of experts believe the evidence definitively points to extraterrestrial life.
In 2025, a press release indicated the “strongest hints yet” of extraterrestrial life on the exoplanet K2-18b, and NASA Administrator Sean Duffy stated that a sample from a Martian rock, “Cheyava Falls,” represented the “closest we have ever come” to discovering life on the red planet. These statements sparked public excitement, but lacked a consensus within the scientific community.
To gauge expert opinion, a group of researchers surveyed hundreds of astrobiologists following each announcement. The survey focused on a simple question: did scientists believe extraterrestrial life had probably been found? The results showed a cautious approach to both cases.
Regarding K2-18b, researchers reported possible traces of dimethyl sulfide and/or dimethyl disulfide, molecules associated with biological activity on Earth. However, only 6.6% of surveyed astrobiologists agreed that scientists had probably found extraterrestrial life. Nearly two-thirds disagreed, while 28.0% remained neutral. In the case of Cheyava Falls on Mars, which appeared to preserve potential biosignatures in the form of “leopard spots” (mineral rings often formed by microbial activity on Earth), 15.1% of astrobiologists agreed that extraterrestrial life had probably been found. Disagreement fell to 44.6%, with 40.3% remaining neutral.
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