Researchers report the first atmosphere detected around the rocky, habitable-zone planet LHS 1140 b. The team, publishing in Science, identified helium in the planet's atmosphere, probably in the upper layers, and said other gases may exist lower down. LHS 1140 b orbits a red dwarf 48 light-years from Earth. Lead author Dr Collin Cherubim of Harvard called the finding "a big deal," and Harvard's Dr David Charbonneau said the result is important because it is the first atmosphere found on a rocky planet in another star's habitable zone. Helium alone would not support life, and the authors emphasize they have not discovered life; they say the detection strengthens the case that Earthlike conditions could exist beyond the solar system. The paper places this result alongside recent work on other targets: a 2025 reanalysis weakened claims of a biosignature on K2-18b, while James Webb Space Telescope data ruled out an Earth-like atmosphere on TRAPPIST-1d and left TRAPPIST-1e inconclusive.
