In Our Time

The Habitability of Planets

175 snips
Jan 9, 2025
Join expert guests Jayne Birkby, an exoplanetary sciences professor, Saidul Islam, a chemist focused on life's chemistry, and Oliver Shorttle, a natural philosophy professor, as they explore the origins of life and what makes planets habitable. They discuss the conditions needed for life to thrive on Earth and beyond, the search for Earth-like planets, and the significance of cosmic chemistry. Dive into the fascinating world of potential extraterrestrial life and the future of astrochemistry.
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INSIGHT

Requirements for Life's Origin

  • Life likely began in environments with readily available building blocks and an energy source.
  • These environments also need suitable temperature and pressure for complex molecules to form.
INSIGHT

Possible Locations for Life's Origin

  • Two main theories suggest life originated either in deep-sea hydrothermal vents or warm little ponds.
  • Hydrothermal vents offer chemical and thermal energy, while ponds provide diverse environments.
INSIGHT

Timeline of Early Life

  • Earth is about 4.5 billion years old, and a collision that formed the moon sterilized the surface early on.
  • Direct fossil evidence suggests life existed 3.5 billion years ago, but graphite samples hint at earlier life, around 4 billion years ago.
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