Can Sulfur Be a Signature of Life on Exoplanets?

Overview

Inspired by the discovery of elemental sulfur on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity Rover, my research determines whether the presence of reduced sulfur (sulfur with extra electrons) can indicate life on exoplanets. By running quantum chemical calculations using Gaussian16 software, I was able to plot the infrared, Raman scattering, and ultra-visible spectra of molecules. When stacked, these molecules mimic experimental data from exoplanet atmospheres and were compared with observational data from exoplanet K2-18b, which detected a hint of dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide, molecules that, on Earth, only originate from life. My spectra discovered that dihydrogen sulfide is not present. This indicates that the dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide cannot originate from atmospheric chemical reactions, but by other means, like biological, geological, or volcanic processes. This result signifies that Kepler 2-18b is an exoplanet that could support life and that my spectra can aid in identifying potentially habitable exoplanets.

Awards (4)

• Challenge Award
• Special Award
• Gold Medal
• Selected for CWSF 2026

Competition history

• CWSF 2026 Aerospace

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