Planetary Habitability? It's What's Inside That Counts

[southwestforests]

With planetary habitability indexes being a thing in Starfire, this might be of interest;
Planetary Habitability? It's What's Inside That Counts
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) May 03, 2019
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Plane ... s_999.html

Which of Earth's features were essential for the origin and sustenance of life? And how do scientists identify those features on other worlds?

A team of investigators with array of expertise ranging from geochemistry to planetary science to astronomy published this week an essay in Science [https://science.sciencemag.org] urging the research community to recognize the vital importance of a planet's interior dynamics in creating an environment that's hospitable for life.

[Vandervecken]

Yes, having an active (but not hyper-active) magnetic field is necessary for higher life forms living on top of the crust of a world, but a geologically active interior of a Iced over world may not need such a strong field to have life (possibly even up to intelligent life). And non-carbon based life may actually need to not have a active field [or a super powerful one]to get the type of energy that will do the trick that makes them thrive. (Can't rule it out even though energy transport is a tricky thing stability- wise with non-Carbon proxies in some of the most common hypothetical alien biologies proposed.)

Still, is a fascination insight to just how special our world is. But with billions of candidate planet just in our Galaxy ...

[Cralis]

Still, is a fascination insight to just how special our world is. But with billions of candidate planet just in our Galaxy ...

It's really hard to do the math without knowing all of the variables! I've actually been amused at how many different book universes Ian Douglas can write based on creating answers to the Fermi Paradox...