The Existence of Alien Life in the Universe Just Got 100 Times Larger – Earth-Like Planets Are Much More Common Than Previously Thought

Is there life on other planets? This is a question that humanity has been trying to answer for a very long time now.

We haven’t found a single piece of direct evidence proving that it is there, but the probability of at least some form of life existing outside of Earth was massive — and it just got 100 times larger.

Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery of 6 Billion Earth-Like Planets in the Milky Way Galaxy Alone https://t.co/iQk49EZZut

— Curiosity (@MAstronomers) April 30, 2023

Water Could Be Everywhere

Researchers believe that one of the best ways to confirm whether other planets even had the chance to develop life is to determine whether or not they have liquid water.

With water in the equation, other planets could achieve their own primordial soup that allowed for life on our planet. The existence of liquid water also indicates a temperate temperature range that could sustain life.

According to Dr. Lujendra Ojha from Rutgers University in New Jersey, it was estimated that there is one rocky planet around every 100 stars that would have liquid water.

However, according to a recently published science paper, this model could be wrong. Researchers now believe that, under the right conditions, there might even be at least 1 rocky world containing water per star.

This would mean the likelihood of finding water on planets orbiting stars in the Milky Way became 100 times higher.

With at least 100 billion stars in our galaxy alone, the new model practically guarantees life on other planets.

Of course, while life itself would be an amazing discovery, intelligent life is what humans crave the most.

Still, if humanity could at least confirm that the Earth wasn’t a unique place in the cosmos and that any form of life exists beyond its atmosphere, it would be a life-changing realization.

With 100 billion stars in Milky Way and the new model claiming that at least one planet per star could have liquid water, that gives researchers over 100 billion planets to observe.

Subterranean Oceans May Harbor Life

Earth-like exoplanets with water in the form of oceans, lakes, or rivers are arguably not that common. After all, not every star has a planet that looks and behaves exactly like Earth.

However, they could have subterranean waters and perhaps entire oceans brimming with underground life.

Subterranean oceans were already found in our own solar system, on several moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn.

Even on planets and moons with frozen surfaces, liquid water could still be underneath. The heat from the planets’ and moons’ own radioactivity from deep inside could keep the water liquid, and gravitational effects from the massive planets they orbit could also be of use.

It is also worth noting that the Milky Way galaxy contains countless red dwarf stars. This type of star has planets that could generate their own heat. Ojha said,

We found that when one considers the possibility of liquid water generated by radioactivity, it is likely that a high percentage of these exoplanets can have sufficient heat to sustain liquid water—many more than we had thought.

The planets could also have wet moons, which increases the odds of life within any star system that much higher.

Where is Everyone?

With all that said, the conditions for having life must exist on countless worlds, yet there is still no evidence of it. This is what is known as the Fermi Paradox. Judging from what we know about life, there should be evidence of aliens. So where is everyone?

One reason for this could be that humans might not recognize life, even after seeing it. It could be that it is simply not life as we know it.

Humanity only knows of conditions on Earth, so we keep looking for similar conditions elsewhere. However, it is possible for life to exist in other forms that we are not familiar with.

Another theory popularized by the science fiction trilogy The Three Body Problem suggests that the universe is in a constant Thucydides trap. Any hint of an alien civilization would likely be wiped out by a more powerful one before it gets strong enough to fight back. Therefore all alien civilizations hide their existence as much as possible from the outer universe.

For now, the search continues, but the new paper, at least, offers more places for us to examine and, hopefully, find at least a hint that we are not alone.

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