New simulations by California astrophysicists reveal that gas giant planets can act as 'agents of chaos' by wreaking havoc on the orbits of earthlike planets capable of supporting alien lifeforms.
A new study examining the orbital eccentricity of exoplanets has determined that as many as 1 in 3 planets orbiting the billions of M-dwarf stars in the Miky Way galaxy may be habitable.
An earth-sized exoplanet that is orbiting within its star's habitable zone has been spotted a mere 31 light years away from Earth, offering astronomers and astrobiologists a tantalizingly close new target in the search for extraterrestrial life.