Born to Be Habitable: How the First Moments of Planet Formation Shape Worlds Like Ours
The paper argues that a planet’s ability to host life is shaped very early, during its formation in the protoplanetary disk. Farcy and collaborators highlight how bulk composition, volatile elements, core structure, and internal heat all arise from these initial conditions and later control atmospheres, magnetic fields, and surface environments. They conclude that comparative planetology, studying planets alongside their host stars, is essential for understanding how habitable worlds emerge.
Why We Don’t Live Around a Red Star: Understanding Why M-Dwarfs May Be Unlikely Homes for Observers
David Kipping’s paper argues that our existence around a Sun-like star is unlikely to be random. Using Bayesian modeling, he finds that most M-dwarfs, the Universe’s most common stars, probably cannot host observers like us. His analysis suggests a lower mass cutoff of about 0.34 solar masses, implying that two-thirds of all stars may be inhospitable to complex life and that Sun-like stars are uniquely favorable for observers.
Grand Theft Moons: How Giant Planets Might Steal Their Way to Habitability
This study explores how moons around giant exoplanets might form and become habitable, especially due to tidal heating. Simulations show that planets around 2 AU from their stars produce the most promising moons. Some moons may escape the planet’s grip due to stellar gravity, but about 32% could still be habitable, expanding the search for life beyond Earth-like planets.
The Goldilocks Zone of Europium: Exploring Planetary Habitability and R-Process Origins
The study by Carrasco et al. explores how europium, a proxy for uranium and thorium, affects planetary habitability by influencing magnetic field generation on rocky planets. They identify a "Goldilocks zone" of stellar metallicity, where planets are most likely to sustain stable magnetic dynamos critical for life. Additionally, the research links europium’s distribution to neutron star mergers, refining our understanding of r-process element production and its role in shaping habitable environments across the galaxy.