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First Earth-Sized Exoplanet May Have Been Found
Adam Korbitz writes "New Scientist is reporting the extrasolar planet MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb — whose discovery was announced just last summer — may actually be the first truly Earth-sized exoplanet to be identified. A new analysis suggests the planet weighs less than half the original estimate of 3.3 Earth masses; the new estimate pegs the planet's size at 1.4 Earth masses. The planet orbits a small red dwarf star, some 3,000 light-years from here, at an orbital distance of 0.62 astronomical units, about the same distance as Venus from our sun. One significance of the planet's discovery is that it points to the probable ubiquity of smaller terrestrial planets in somewhat Earth-like orbits around red dwarf stars, the oldest and most numerous stars in the galaxy. Here is a video report from the discoverers."
I know the use of the term 'Earth-sized' brings more views, but hopefully the non-science/tech people out there reading it will realize that that is just a physical comparison and not a suggestion that life is present.
e.g. Venus is also 'Earth-sized' but is highly inhabitable (for life as we know it)
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, START
Earth might be broken in some ways, but it is (most likely) a lot better environment than anything else out there. Earth is a far better starting position than Mars or whatever and fixing what's broken here would be far more achievable than trying to build a viable human-sustaining ecosystem on some other planet.
On the flip side, the spin-off technologies from making a sustainable habitat off planet would probably do wonders for improving the quality of life on planet. Everything from medical technology to air scrubbing and environmental cleanup, food and nutrition to understanding of local ecology and balancing it, energy technology to waste disposal and recycling, and probably much more.
"Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
Remember what we see is a 3000 year old image of the planet. It may not even exist today.
I anticipate that someday science will advance to the point where ordering up your own private garden planet, and a fleet of intelligent and loyal robots to tend it for you, is considered routine. A wormhole network connecting your plant to a set of resource-rich sunless moons will be included at no extra charge.
Everyone will have eternal life and health, lots of friends, and be allowed by their doctors to drink all the ice tea they want.
But we still won't have flying cars.