Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Life appeared on Earth just 250 million years after its formation — a cosmic blink that suggests life may emerge quickly on any planet with the right conditions.
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Columbia astronomer David Kipping argues that early life emergence hints at a universal rule: life begins fast once planets cool and stabilize.
While simple life was quick, it took nearly 4 billion years for intelligent beings to evolve — and Earth's clock is already ticking toward extinction.
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Experts say Earth's sun will likely make the planet uninhabitable in about 900 million years, meaning life's quick start was crucial for complex evolution.
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If Earth’s history is typical, life could spring up easily elsewhere — dramatically boosting hopes for finding simple organisms across the galaxy.
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Kipping’s Bayesian analysis puts the odds at 13:1 in favor of rapid abiogenesis, meaning life is strongly likely to start quickly once conditions permit.
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New discoveries about Earth's ancient biosignatures could shift those odds, but the current data shows strong favor toward rapid life emergence.
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The analysis assumes life began on Earth itself, not seeded from space — suggesting planets don’t need cosmic "help" for life to ignite.
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The study reshapes how astronomers hunt for life: instead of rare miracles, life might be expected wherever rocky planets have water and patience.
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