More Earths Than Previously Thought

Earth-like Planets May Be More Common Than Once Thought, University of Colorado at Boulder

“More than one-third of the giant planet systems recently detected outside Earth’s solar system may harbor Earth-like planets, many covered in deep oceans with potential for life, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder and Pennsylvania State University. … The new research effort may allow planet hunters to determine “rough limits” indicating where to search for habitable planets in known systems of giant planets, according to the team, whose research was funded by NASA’s Astrobiology Institute headquartered at the NASA Ames Research Center.”

Editor’s note: And NASA’s response to exciting astrobiology discoveries such as this? Why, they continue to cut astrobiology funding, of course.

Reader note: “Maybe we can do earth science in NASA as long as its not on our own Earth…”