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The issue here is not so much the presence of a planet with the right mix of elements and environmental properties. The size of the universe indicates this is l
by camelNotation 10y ago
The issue here is not so much the presence of a planet with the right mix of elements and environmental properties. The size of the universe indicates this is likely, just as you said. The issue is abiogenesis. We have absolutely zero data on how often abiogenesis occurs in nature. We don't actively observe it occurring on earth and have yet to encounter it elsewhere even once. Therefore, no matter how common a "habitable" planet is, without living things to terraform its surface and atmosphere, it's not actually habitable. It needs ecosystems to sustain human beings. And we have no way of knowing how likely or unlikely it is for life to exist.