Title: Scientists Estimate How Much Longer The Earth Can Support Life
Headings: Scientists Estimate How Much Longer The Earth Can Support Life
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Scientists Estimate How Much Longer The Earth Can Support Life
Gallery: Planets Outside Of Our Solar System
Alex Knapp

Content: They then used observations of their orbits and their stars' to arrive at estimates of each planets habitable zone lifetime. There is an astounding range of possibilities - ranging "from significantly less than that of Earth to over five times Earth's HZ lifetime," they wrote. Of course, this paper really represents a first step in determining how likely a planet is going to evolve life. The scientists themselves notes this in the paper, where they write "Interpreting the results that have been returned by this simple model should be done with caution. While we have sought to estimate a theoretically habitable zone lifetime, we do not claim that the time that a planet spends within the HZ is the only control over habitability." They also note that different planets will experience different factors, which will provide still further interesting effects on how life might evolve on them. " The actual HZ lifetime of any given planet is unlikely to be controlled solely by planetary surface temperatures, and individual worlds may experience a variety of divergent (bio)geochemical evolutionary histories, possibly resulting in markedly different planetary environments to that of Earth." First step it may be, it's still a fascinating one. As the models for habitability get further defined, that may help astronomers find another planet with life that much sooner. Additionally, this research reminds us that though the end may be billions of years away, the ability of the Earth to remain home for human beings won't last forever.