The Search Starts

Abstract

The previous chapter has shown us that life on Earth arose surprisingly fast and easy, as soon as the conditions were right for liquid water to be sustained on the surface. We saw that there is evidence of the presence of this valuable substance in at least two other bodies in the Solar System, and these are encouraging indications that life in the Solar System might not be limited to Earth. Also, we saw that planetary systems are not rarities of nature but seem to abound across the universe, and that life is much more resistant than was once believed, which extends the limits of what can be considered a habitable world. All these facts, despite our own ignorance about many things, make numerous scientists seem reasonably optimistic about the existence of life in other parts of our galaxy.