In the search for potentially habitable worlds and alien life, scientists often focus on a planet's surface or atmosphere, but new research suggests it's what's inside that counts.

An international group of planetary scientists, geologists and chemists published a letter in the journal Science calling for more researchers to explore the role a planet's interior dynamics play in producing and maintaining a habitable environment.

Given that Earth is the only confirmed habitable world, the authors of the new letter recommend researchers begin by investigating the link between Earth's livability and the makeup of its interior.

"We need a better understanding of how a planet's composition and interior influence its habitability, starting with Earth," Anat Shahar, researcher at the Carnegie Institute for Science, said in a news release. "This can be used to guide the search for exoplanets and star systems where life could thrive, signatures of which could be detected by telescopes."

The abundance of many of the elements that coalesced during Earth's formation -- and the cooling and heating they experienced -- influenced Earth's internal chemistry, its evolution and the size of the planet's oceans. They played a role in facilitating a habitable world, but scientists aren't sure whether other combinations of elements can produce a habitable planet, too.

"One of the big questions we need to ask is whether the geologic and dynamic features that make our home planet habitable can be produced on planets with different compositions," said Peter Driscoll, Carnegie scientist.

If scientists can determine which kinds of interior compositions are most likely to produce stable, habitable conditions on a planet's surface, planetary scientists and astronomers hunting for alien life could narrow their search parameters.

Related Links
Tectonic Science and News

Tweet

Thanks for being here; 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 Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Princeton geoscientists find new fallout from 'the collision that changed the world'
Princeton NJ (SPX) Apr 29, 2019
When the landmass that is now the Indian subcontinent slammed into Asia about 50 million years ago, the collision changed the configuration of the continents, the landscape, global climate and more. Now a team of Princeton University scientists has identified one more effect: the oxygen in the world's oceans increased, altering the conditions for life. "These results are different from anything people have previously seen," said Emma Kast, a graduate student in geosciences and the lead author on a ... read more