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The Nature of Life and Its Potential to Survive pp 193–236Cite as

Life Jim, But Not as We Know It

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Part of the book series: Astronomers' Universe ((ASTRONOM))

Abstract

What forms might life take elsewhere in the universe, and would we recognize it if we saw it? Those are the questions posed by this chapter. Although many of the cases examined may simply be variants of life on Earth, we’ll ask whether the truly fantastic is possible, given the constraints on what it means to be alive.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    At the time of proofing, the number of planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system has grown to seven. TRAPPIST-1d now lies towards the inner edge of the potentially habitable region, one that holds a further two planets (e and f).

  2. 2.

    The orbital period of TRAPPIST-1d is now 4.4 days from SPITZER data. The new planets TRAPPIST-1e, 1f and 1g have periods of 6.06, 8.1 and 12.3 days, respectively. Planets d, e and f are thus potentially habitable in terms of surface temperature. TRAPPIST-1g is likely too cold but could support sub-surface life.

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  1. Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK

    David S. Stevenson

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  1. David S. Stevenson
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Stevenson, D.S. (2017). Life Jim, But Not as We Know It. In: The Nature of Life and Its Potential to Survive. Astronomers' Universe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52911-0_5

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