Science news outlets commonly tell us that the universe is full of planets that could host life. These reports normally have a very short list of requirements to qualify as habitable. Reality is a bit more complex. Part of the problem is that without a visit, we cannot confirm most of the characteristics that are required. One obvious requirement is the presence of liquid water. This is even more true with the recognition that water in this liquid state needs to exist continuously for billions of years. This October 2021 report shows that our near neighbor, Venus just didn’t make it. This article shows again the fine-tuning demanded to make Earth a place where advanced life could exist. We have a small sample set, but just looking at Venus, Earth and Mars, we see how just considering this one component of habitability, tiny changes make planets impossible to host life, particularly beyond bacteria or single-celled life. The contrast with Earth is dramatic. It is not just adequate for life, but extremely robust. It has abundant water, a great magnetic field, continents aligned just right to circulate the water, just the right atmospheric pressure, etc, etc. It doesn’t just have minimal life, but abundant diverse life in marvelous ecosystems. Sounds contrived or dare I say: designed.
Check this out: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211013114018.htm
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