Scientists: Galaxy May Teem With Planets More Habitable Than Earth

Our planet may be relatively low-rent

Boffins believe terrestrial planets orbiting Sun-like stars in the galaxy are probably more hospitable to life than Earth, thanks to their balmy subsurface temperatures.

From the stars found by the HARPS (High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher) spectrometer at the European South Observatory in Chile, geoboffins and astroboffins selected two solar twins of our Sun—stars roughly the same size, age and overall composition—and measured the amounts of radioactive elements they contained, a key indicator of their world-building abilities.

Elements such as thorium and uranium are essential because they help heat up a planet's interior and power its plate tectonics. It is believed these are needed to keep water—an ingredient for life—on the surface of the world.