In a few years, thousands of new exoplanets will be cataloged, which are those that do not belong to our solar system. A study published in Astrobiology by scientists from NASA and other centers in the USA, Germany and Puerto Rico proposes to classify them according to their potential to host life in them.
The classification would be made based on two indices: one of similarity with the Earth and the other of habitability. The latter aims to accommodate life forms in conditions different from those known on our planet. As explained by Dirk Schulze-Makuch, one of the authors of the work, in statements to Europa Press : "Habitability in its broadest sense is not necessarily limited to water as a solvent or to a planet orbiting a star. For example, the lakes of Hydrocarbons on Titan could host a different form of life as we know it. "
To calculate the indices, various physical and chemical parameters are used that are, theoretically, conducive to life. These will include mass, radius, temperature, available energy, or the presence of some liquid solvent. "Over time, studies will evolve," says Schulze-Makuch, to capture "the variety of possible life forms that, at least in principle, can also exist on other worlds."
