. 24/7 Space News .
EXO WORLDS
Study shows some exoplanets may have greater variety of life than exists on Earth
by Staff Writers
Barcelona, Spain (SPX) Aug 23, 2019

This artist's concept shows what the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system may look like, based on available data about the planets' diameters, masses and distances from the host star, as of February 2018. 3 of the 7 exoplanets are in the 'habitable zone', where liquid water is possible.

A new study indicates that some exoplanets may have better conditions for life to thrive than Earth itself has. "This is a surprising conclusion", said lead researcher Dr Stephanie Olson, "it shows us that conditions on some exoplanets with favourable ocean circulation patterns could be better suited to support life that is more abundant or more active than life on Earth."

The discovery of exoplanets has accelerated the search for life outside our solar system. The huge distances to these exoplanets means that they are effectively impossible to reach with space probes, so scientists are working with remote sensing tool such as telescopes, to understand what conditions prevail on different exoplanets. Making sense of these remote observations requires the development of sophisticated models for planetary climate and evolution to allow scientists to recognize which of these distant planets that might host life.

Presenting a new synthesis of this work in a Keynote Lecture at the Goldschmidt Geochemistry Congress in Barcelona, Dr Stephanie Olson (University of Chicago) describes the search to identify the best environments for life on exoplanets:

"NASA's search for life in the Universe is focused on so-called Habitable Zone planets, which are worlds that have the potential for liquid water oceans. But not all oceans are equally hospitable--and some oceans will be better places to live than others due to their global circulation patterns".

Olson's team modelled likely conditions on different types of exoplanets using the ROCKE-3D software*, developed by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), to simulate the climates and ocean habitats of different types of exoplanets.

"Our work has been aimed at identifying the exoplanet oceans which have the greatest capacity to host globally abundant and active life. Life in Earth's oceans depends on upwelling (upward flow) which returns nutrients from the dark depths of the ocean to the sunlit portions of the ocean where photosynthetic life lives. More upwelling means more nutrient resupply, which means more biological activity. These are the conditions we need to look for on exoplanets".

They modelled a variety of possible exoplanets, and were able to define which exoplanet types stand the best chance of developing and sustaining thriving biospheres.

"We have used an ocean circulation model to identify which planets will have the most efficient upwelling and thus offer particularly hospitable oceans. We found that higher atmospheric density, slower rotation rates, and the presence of continents all yield higher upwelling rates. A further implication is that Earth might not be optimally habitable--and life elsewhere may enjoy a planet that is even more hospitable than our own.

There will always be limitations to our technology, so life is almost certainly more common than "detectable" life. This means that in our search for life in the Universe, we should target the subset of habitable planets that will be most favourable to large, globally active biospheres because those are the planets where life will be easiest to detect--and where non-detections will be most meaningful".

Dr Olson notes that we don't yet have telescopes which can identify appropriate exoplanets and test this hypothesis, but says that "Ideally this work this will inform telescope design to ensure that future missions, such as the proposed LUVOIR or HabEx telescope concepts, have the right capabilities; now we know what to look for, so we need to start looking".

Commenting, Professor Chris Reinhard (Georgia Institute of Technology) said: "We expect oceans to be important in regulating some of the most compelling remotely detectable signs of life on habitable worlds, but our understanding of oceans beyond our solar system is currently very rudimentary. Dr. Olson's work represents a significant and exciting step forward in our understanding of exoplanet oceanography".

Professor Reinhard was not involved in this work, this is an independent comment.

+ More about ROCKE-3D can be found here Related Links
Goldschmidt Conference
Lands Beyond Beyond - extra solar planets - news and science
Life Beyond Earth


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


EXO WORLDS
Does ET exist ponders UVA astronomer
Charlottesville VA (SPX) Aug 19, 2019
Many people have a knee-jerk reaction when it comes to extraterrestrial life. Claims of sightings often are immediately dismissed or ridiculed as being crazy. Alternately, some people assume that scientists or the government are hiding something. Thanks to Hollywood, and sometimes-irresponsible "documentaries," many misconceptions exist regarding E.T. life - whether or not E.T. life actually exists. University of Virginia astronomer Kelsey Johnson recently weighed in with a commentary for Scientif ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

EXO WORLDS
NASA astronauts to install docking adapter on ISS during next EVA

EVA complete installation of second Commercial Docking Port on Space Station

A space cocktail of science, bubbles and sounds

Japan steps in to supply key component to Russia's space program

EXO WORLDS
US detect explosion of old European Ariane 4 rocket in space

China launches 3 satellites wth Jielong-1 rocket

SNC selects ULA for Dream Chaser launches

Hall thrusters will enable longer space missions

EXO WORLDS
A step closer to solving the methane mystery on Mars

Ancient Mars was warm with occasional rain, turning cold

All instruments onboard Rosalind Franklin rover

Roscosmos postpones joint ESA ExoMars mission after failed parachute tests

EXO WORLDS
China's newly launched communication satellite suffers abnormality

China launches first private rocket capable of carrying satellites

Chinese scientists say goodbye to Tiangong-2

China's space lab Tiangong 2 destroyed in controlled fall to earth

EXO WORLDS
New Iridium Certus transceiver for faster satellite data now in live testing

ThinKom Solutions Unveils New Multi-Beam Reconfigurable Phased-Array Gateway Solution for Next-Generation Satellites

Embry-Riddle plans expansion of its Research Park through partnership with Space Square

OneWeb secures global spectrum further enabling global connectivity services

EXO WORLDS
Data rate increase on the International Space Station supports future exploration

Air Force certifies first field unit for 3D printing of aircraft parts

Boosting Space Situational Awareness: SMC awards SBIR Phase 2 contract

Norway detects radioactive iodine near Russia

EXO WORLDS
A second planet in the Beta Pictoris System

A rare look at the surface of a rocky exoplanet

Study: NASA data shows Earth-sized exoplanet lacks atmosphere

Does ET exist ponders UVA astronomer

EXO WORLDS
Mission to Jupiter's icy moon confirmed

Giant Impact Disrupted Jupiter's Core

Young Jupiter was smacked head-on by massive newborn planet

Young Jupiter Was Smacked Head-On by Massive Newborn Planet









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.