Subsurface exolife
@article{Lingam2018SubsurfaceE, title={Subsurface exolife}, author={Manasvi Lingam and Abraham Loeb}, journal={International Journal of Astrobiology}, year={2018}, volume={18}, pages={112 - 141} }
Abstract We study the prospects for life on planets with subsurface oceans, and find that a wide range of planets can exist in diverse habitats with ice envelopes of moderate thickness. We quantify the energy sources available to these worlds, the rate of production of prebiotic compounds, and assess their potential for hosting biospheres. Life on these planets is likely to face challenges, which could be overcome through a combination of different mechanisms. We estimate the number of such…
29 Citations
Colloquium: Physical constraints for the evolution of life on exoplanets
- Geology, PhysicsReviews of Modern Physics
- 2019
Since the 1990s over 4000 exoplanets have been discovered: which of them could also develop and harbor life? It is posited that the planet must have liquid water, a surrounding atmosphere, and must…
Dynamical and Biological Panspermia Constraints Within Multi-planet Exosystems.
- Physics, GeologyAstrobiology
- 2018
This work derives a probability distribution function for life-bearing debris to reach a planetary orbit, and describes the survival of micro-organisms during planetary ejection, their journey through interplanetary space, and atmospheric entry.
Is Life Most Likely Around Sun-like Stars?
- Physics, Geology
- 2017
We consider the habitability of Earth-analogs around stars of different masses, which is regulated by the stellar lifetime, stellar wind-induced atmospheric erosion, and biologically active…
Is Extraterrestrial Life Suppressed on Subsurface Ocean Worlds due to the Paucity of Bioessential Elements?
- Environmental ScienceThe Astronomical Journal
- 2018
The availability of bioessential elements for "life as we know it", such as phosphorus (P) or possibly molybdenum (Mo), is expected to restrict the biological productivity of extraterrestrial…
Evaluating the Microbial Habitability of Rogue Planets and Proposing Speculative Scenarios on How They Might Act as Vectors for Panspermia
- Physics, GeologyLife
- 2021
The possibility that these types of rogue planets could harbor unicellular organisms, conceivably based on a variety of different energy sources, including chemical, osmotic, thermal, and luminous energy is discussed.
Role of stellar physics in regulating the critical steps for life
- Physics, GeologyInternational Journal of Astrobiology
- 2019
Abstract We use the critical step model to study the major transitions in evolution on Earth. We find that a total of five steps represents the most plausible estimate, in agreement with previous…
Brown Dwarf Atmospheres as the Potentially Most Detectable and Abundant Sites for Life
- Physics, GeologyThe Astrophysical Journal
- 2019
We show that the total habitable volume in the atmospheres of cool brown dwarfs with effective temperatures of $\sim 250$-$350$ K is possibly larger by two orders of magnitude than that of Earth-like…
The Habitability of the Galactic Bulge
- Physics, GeologyLife
- 2020
Analytical models of the star density in the bulge are used to provide estimates of the rate of catastrophic events and of the diffusion timescales for life over interstellar distances.
Super-Earths in need for Extremly Big Rockets
- Geology, Physics
- 2018
Many rocky exoplanets are heavier and larger than Earth, so-called "Super-Earths". Some of these may be habitable, and a few may be inhabited by Super-Earthlings. Due to the higher surface gravity on…
Spaceflight from Super-Earths is difficult
- Physics, GeologyInternational Journal of Astrobiology
- 2018
Abstract Many rocky exoplanets are heavier and larger than the Earth and have higher surface gravity. This makes space-flight on these worlds very challenging because the required fuel mass for a…
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