Page 32 - september 2023
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Phosphorus:
Illuminating Exoplanet Habitability and
the search for extraterrestrial life
W hile talking about a planet's habitability, What is Habitability?
we often overlook the importance
of Phosphorus. But why so? We
Habitability is the capability of a heavenly
begin from the very basics- defining an
exoplanet and the various factors body to sustain at least one known
organism. A habitat must ensure
affecting it- then we move to metabolic activity for an organism and
explain phosphorus as one of the allow its reproduction, but it is not
critical factors for life. Let us start! necessary. Further, the habitat must also
be able to sustain that organism.
What is an Exoplanet?
For a long time, humanity has been
The Planets that lie beyond our conflicted over whether we are alone in
solar system are referred to as exo- the universe or not. By looking at the
planets. Most orbit another star, but habitability of exoplanets, one can offer
some are also free-floating. Since one possible solution to this conflict.
the 1990s, we have confirmed over Another reason we are interested in
5000 heavenly bodies as exoplanets, looking at an exoplanet's habitability is
and thousands of others are under to make it a potential "backup" option for
review. One of the essential humans. As we know, the resources on
features that we would like to look Earth are dwindling day by day and
at in exoplanets is their habitability. conversely, pollution is on the rise. This
may result in Earth becoming incapable
of supporting life soon. Humans must
shift to another planet to ensure survival
in such an event. Thus, by looking at
habitability, we can pinpoint which
world may have Earth-like conditions
and be able to sustain the human population.
Lastly, systematically looking at
habitability factors helps us eliminate
several planets. Our resources are limited,
and it is only possible to explore a limited
number of exoplanets. Therefore, we can
narrow the possibilities using certain
constraints and find the "perfect" planet
to sustain life.
30 xÉ<Ç =cÉxÉ flrEcj -2023
