http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/09/16/2072217.aspx
"A New Equation for Life"
Astrobiologists Hagermann and Cockell are currently working on devising a mathematical equation that would create a single indicator "that combines all the factors thought to make life as we know it possible". Based on studies of life's development on Earth, scientists generally list three factors that indicate life: the presence of liquid water, chemical compounds that can be combined in organic reactions, and an energy source to fuel those reactions. If you knew a system had planets with bodies of water on them, that would be a habitability index of 1."
However, the problem of creating a habitability index is getting more and more complicated, because the more researchers learn the harder it is to draw the line between habitable and non-inhabitable zones. Also, no definitions of life work very well, and the conditions and allowed life to evolve on this planet don't necessarily have to match conditions that could very well create life on other planets. Although this mathematical equation may not be even close to 100% accurate when predicting the possibility of life in other systems and planets, it causes scientists to look more deeply into where life comes from and where we might find intelligent life elsewhere in our universe. First we have to learn more about the planets before we can give them a habitability index.
"A New Equation for Life"
Astrobiologists Hagermann and Cockell are currently working on devising a mathematical equation that would create a single indicator "that combines all the factors thought to make life as we know it possible". Based on studies of life's development on Earth, scientists generally list three factors that indicate life: the presence of liquid water, chemical compounds that can be combined in organic reactions, and an energy source to fuel those reactions. If you knew a system had planets with bodies of water on them, that would be a habitability index of 1."
However, the problem of creating a habitability index is getting more and more complicated, because the more researchers learn the harder it is to draw the line between habitable and non-inhabitable zones. Also, no definitions of life work very well, and the conditions and allowed life to evolve on this planet don't necessarily have to match conditions that could very well create life on other planets. Although this mathematical equation may not be even close to 100% accurate when predicting the possibility of life in other systems and planets, it causes scientists to look more deeply into where life comes from and where we might find intelligent life elsewhere in our universe. First we have to learn more about the planets before we can give them a habitability index.
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