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It also assumes that liquid water and an oxygen atmosphere are prerequisites for life. Extremophiles living on our own planet prove that this is not so. Maybe

It also assumes that liquid water and an oxygen atmosphere are prerequisites for life. Extremophiles living on our own planet prove that this is not so. Maybe this is splitting hairs, but we have evidence that life can exist in such extreme condition. We have no evidence that life can arise under those conditions. I think it's perfectly plausible that it's path-dependent: life needs the friendlier conditions to first develop; once it's up and running with a means of evolving, it's able to acclimatize gradually to the extremes. If I'm right, then it's still correct to exclude worlds that could never have had the "correct" conditions.

eric-hu 15y ago
Adding onto this thought, even if life can arise under extreme conditions, the probability of necessary events could still be far lower than the probability of necessary events for life to arise under earth-like conditions. Thus, the habitable zone criteria is simply narrowing the search space to planets with a high(er) probability of developing and supporting life--while discarding planets with a low(er) probability (though some discarded may indeed have life). It seems reasonable to me in this light, as well.
- majmun 15y ago
  there is probably more chance of finding intelligent life on planet that is not habitable and can't originate life. because once life becomes "intelligent" it will probably try to colonize more than one "uninhabitable" planet by intelligent machines designed for specific environment.
keys1234 15y ago
life needs the friendlier conditions to first develop. Primitive Life on earth developed on not so friendly environment with poisonous gas (No Oxygen - Oxygen is a byproduct primitive living things created), regular meteor showers and boiling hot waters. If Life evolved here under these conditions, it can evolve anywhere with such conditions
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eric-hu 15y ago

Adding onto this thought, even if life can arise under extreme conditions, the probability of necessary events could still be far lower than the probability of necessary events for life to arise under earth-like conditions. Thus, the habitable zone criteria is simply narrowing the search space to planets with a high(er) probability of developing and supporting life--while discarding planets with a low(er) probability (though some discarded may indeed have life). It seems reasonable to me in this light, as well.

majmun 15y ago
there is probably more chance of finding intelligent life on planet that is not habitable and can't originate life. because once life becomes "intelligent" it will probably try to colonize more than one "uninhabitable" planet by intelligent machines designed for specific environment.

keys1234 15y ago

life needs the friendlier conditions to first develop. Primitive Life on earth developed on not so friendly environment with poisonous gas (No Oxygen - Oxygen is a byproduct primitive living things created), regular meteor showers and boiling hot waters. If Life evolved here under these conditions, it can evolve anywhere with such conditions

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