Journal article : Comment

Comparing astrobiologists’ confidence in extraterrestrial life claims for K2-18 b and Cheyava Falls

Abstract:: Following two major 2025 announcements of possible extraterrestrial life — on exoplanet K2-18 b in April and in the Cheyava Falls rock on Mars in September — we surveyed the astrobiology community to capture the spread of expert opinion. These datasets establish baseline measures of scientific confidence in each case, revealing that astrobiologists were notably more persuaded by the Martian evidence than by that from K2-18 b.

Publication status:: Published

Peer review status:: Peer reviewed

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APA Style

Vickers, P., Cowie, C., Hamilton, J., McMahon, S., & Mitchell Finnigan, S. (2026). Comparing astrobiologists’ confidence in extraterrestrial life claims for K2-18 b and Cheyava Falls. Nature Astronomy.

MLA Style

Vickers, P, et al. “Comparing Astrobiologists’ Confidence in Extraterrestrial Life Claims for K2-18 b and Cheyava Falls.” Nature Astronomy, 2026.

Chicago Style

Vickers, P, C Cowie, J Hamilton, S McMahon, and S Mitchell Finnigan. 2026. “Comparing Astrobiologists’ Confidence in Extraterrestrial Life Claims for K2-18 b and Cheyava Falls.” Nature Astronomy.
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Publisher copy:: 10.1038/s41550-026-02876-9

Authors

+ Vickers, P More by this author

Role:: Author
ORCID:: 0000-0001-5644-4290

+ Cowie, C More by this author

Role:: Author

+ Hamilton, J More by this author

Institution:: University of Oxford
Division:: SSD
Department:: Blavatnik School of Government
Role:: Author
ORCID:: 0000-0002-6571-4325

+ McMahon, S More by this author

Role:: Author

+ Mitchell Finnigan, S More by this author

Role:: Author

+ Leverhulme Trust More from this funder

Funder identifier:: https://ror.org/012mzw131
Grant:: RPG-2021-274

Publisher:: Springer Nature
Journal:: Nature Astronomy More from this journal
Publication date:: 2026-06-05
DOI:: 10.1038/s41550-026-02876-9
EISSN:: 2397-3366

Language:: English
Subtype:: Comment
Pubs id:: 2430197
Local pid:: pubs:2430197
Deposit date:: 2026-06-05
ARK identifier:: ark:/29072/ora_74f8b2b8bc574b2190c44b3504b37e48

Terms of use

Copyright holder:: Springer Nature Limited
Copyright date:: 2026
Rights statement:: Copyright © 2026, Springer Nature Limited

Licence:: Terms and Conditions of Use for Oxford University Research Archive

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