Cambridge: Exoplanets Identified Where Life Could Develop
Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 5:15 pm
Scientists Identify Exoplanets Where Life Could Develop as It Did on Earth
University of Cambridge, UK | 2018 Aug 01
The Origin of RNA Precursors on Exoplanets - Paul B. Rimmer et al
University of Cambridge, UK | 2018 Aug 01
Scientists have identified a group of planets outside our solar system where the same chemical conditions that may have led to life on Earth exist.
The researchers, from the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC LMB), found that the chances for life to develop on the surface of a rocky planet like Earth are connected to the type and strength of light given off by its host star.
Their study, published in the journal Science Advances, proposes that stars which give off sufficient ultraviolet (UV) light could kick-start life on their orbiting planets in the same way it likely developed on Earth, where the UV light powers a series of chemical reactions that produce the building blocks of life.
The researchers have identified a range of planets where the UV light from their host star is sufficient to allow these chemical reactions to take place, and that lie within the habitable range where liquid water can exist on the planet’s surface. ...
The new paper is the result of an ongoing collaboration between the Cavendish Laboratory and the MRC LMB, bringing together organic chemistry and exoplanet research. It builds on the work of Professor John Sutherland, a co-author on the current paper, who studies the chemical origin of life on Earth. ...
The Origin of RNA Precursors on Exoplanets - Paul B. Rimmer et al
- Science Advances 4(8):aar3302 (01 Aug 2018) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aar3302 (preprint)