Is Earthly Life Premature from a Cosmic Perspective?

August 2, 2016
Image of planet and sun

CFA Press Release: "The universe is 13.8 billion years old, while our planet formed just 4.5 billion years ago. Some scientists think this time gap means that life on other planets could be billions of years older than ours. However, new theoretical work suggests that present-day life is actually premature from a cosmic perspective."

"If you ask, 'When is life most likely to emerge?' you might naively say, 'Now,'" says lead author Avi Loeb of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "But we find that the chance of life grows much higher in the distant future."

Read More: https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/2016-17

Press:

PBS Interview:  http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2016/08/03/50975/why-we-might-be-ancient-aliens/

Popular science: http://www.popsci.com/all-earthlings-might-be-premature

Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/08/03/a-new-reason-why-we-havent-found-alien-life-in-the-universe/

Harvard Gazette: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/08/calculating-the-odds-of-life-between-the-big-bang-and-the-final-fade/