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July 02, 2013

Cloud effect could increase number of possible life-supporting planets
Chicago (UPI) Jul 1, 2013
The climate influence of clouds could double the number of potentially habitable planets orbiting the most common type of stars, U.S. scientists say. Astrophysicists at the University of Chicago say this finding means in the Milky Way galaxy alone, 60 billion planets may be orbiting in the habitable zone of red dwarf stars, the most common stars in the universe. Working with colleagues from Northwestern University, the researchers based their study on rigorous computer simulations of clo ... read more

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Astronomers Detect Three 'Super-Earths' in Nearby Star's Habitable Zone New observations of a star known as Gliese 667C have revealed a system with at least six planets, including a record-breaking three super-Earths orbiting in the star's "habitable zone" where liquid ... more		Gas-Giant Exoplanets Cling Close to Their Parent Stars Finding extrasolar planets has become so commonplace that it seems astronomers merely have to look up and another world is discovered. However, results from Gemini Observatory's recently completed P ... more		It's a bug's life: Microbes to inherit the Earth Two billion years from now, an ever-hotter Sun will have cooked the Earth, leaving microbes confined to pockets of water in mountains or caves as the last survivors, a study said Monday. ... more
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