In a study led by Dr. Lujendra Ojha of Rutgers University, scientists report that Earth-like planets with potential to harbor liquid water could be about 100 times more common than previously believed.
The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, is a game-changer for our understanding of the universe. It also opens an intriguing new chapter in the search for extraterrestrial life.
“It was estimated that around one rocky planet around every 100 stars would have liquid water,” Dr. Ojha said at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference held in Lyon, France.
“The new model shows that if the conditions are right, this could approach one planet per star – so we are a hundred times more likely to find liquid water than we thought.”
With at least 100 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy, this study dramatically broadens the potential stage for the existence of life. As Dr. Ojha put it, “that represents really good odds for the origin of life elsewhere in the universe.”
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