If we are go to find biography in the universe , it makes sense to look at conditions on the only major planet we hump has life ( you have n’t miss anything big , that ’s still Earth ) to see what sort of conditions to look for .
One of these factor , thought to beimportantto the development of life , are continents and their creator , plate tectonics . While the motion of these plates do all kinds of problems in earthquake andvolcanic bang , overall they help tomoderate Earth ’s temperature(partly through removing carbon as tectonic plate slump ) and keeping us in that " Linosyris vulgaris " zona just right for sprightliness .
In a fresh study , Jane Greaves , Professor of Astronomy at Cardiff University , suggests way we can look for possible Earth - comparable planets that have shell plate tectonics , narrowing down the ultimate search for life . Of particular interest was to find planets that have had plate tectonics for long than here on Earth , giving a foresightful timescale for life to evolve and potentially stand out our own story of civilization advancement .
While detecting and inferring home base architectonics onexoplanetshas not yet been done , Greaves intimate one elbow room is to look at the host stars . By look at the chemical makeup of these star and star in the local environment , we can infer whether their exoplanets have the right stuff for plate architectonics .
" [ R]ising astronomical atomic number 26 : silicon promote larger core : mantle dimension , reducing the likelihood of plate plate tectonic theory , " the paper explains , tot that " in high spirits radioisotope copiousness can hinder planetary dynamos , limiting continents and biospheres " .
On Earth , ourgooey mantleis heated by the decay of uranium-238 , thorium-232 , and potassium-40 . These did n’t amount from nowhere , but were mould in neutron wizard unification and supernovae . According to Greaves , looking for " star abundances " of these element could help us site planets with biospheres more advanced than our own .
" The outlook seems very promising for finding rough exoplanets with continents , give that nearby Sun - like stars have already produce a few nominee hosts , " Greaves writes in the paper . " Further probe , particularly of prima abundance of Th and K , could help to uncover more one-time systems where spirit on land could pre - appointment that on Earth . "
The survey is publish inResearch Notes of the American Astronomical Society .
