If aliens exist they could thriving on these 'super- Earths' planets

A new study has pointed out that if aliens exist, they could be thriving on planets known as 'hycean' world's - ocean worlds.

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Humans are constantly searching for other forms of life out in the cosmos, and most of the areas we are searching the hardest are on Earth-like.

It makes sense to search the cosmos for planets that are similar to Earth as that is the only planet we know of to host life. However, the universe is extremely diverse in the types of planets that it has produced, which means life could be elsewhere, but we just haven't checked. A new study by researchers from the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge in England has honed in on one type of planet, "hycean" planets, or "super-Earths."

These planets are around 2.5 times larger than Earth, have hydrogen-rich atmospheres, and are mostly covered in large oceans of liquid water, which researchers believe could contain microbial life much as we see here on Earth. On Earth, we have observed microbial life surviving in extreme environments such as miles beneath the Earth's crust and deep within oceans. This form of life has been categorized as "extremophiles".

Researchers believe it may be possible that there could be extremophiles lying at the depths of these planets.

Nikku Madhusudhan. the lead author on the paper said, "Hycean planets open a whole new avenue in our search for life elsewhere." Adding, "A biosignature detection would transform our understanding of life in the universe. We need to be open about where we expect to find life and what form that life could take, as nature continues to surprise us in often unimaginable ways."

Anjali Piette, from Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy, and co-author on the study, said, "It's exciting that habitable conditions could exist on planets so different from Earth."

To read more on this study, check out this link here.

If aliens exist they could thriving on these 'super- Earths' planets 01
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Jak joined the TweakTown team in 2017 and has since reviewed 100s of new tech products and kept us informed daily on the latest science, space, and artificial intelligence news. Jak's love for science, space, and technology, and, more specifically, PC gaming, began at 10 years old. It was the day his dad showed him how to play Age of Empires on an old Compaq PC. Ever since that day, Jak fell in love with games and the progression of the technology industry in all its forms. Instead of typical FPS, Jak holds a very special spot in his heart for RTS games.

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