Was Earth a Migratory Planet?

astroengine writes "Why our planet isn't a "snowball Earth" — a dilemma called the 'faint young sun paradox' — has foxed solar and planetary scientists for decades. Since the Earth's formation, a planet covered in ice should have stifled any kind of greenhouse effect, preventing our atmosphere from warming up and maintaining water in a liquid state. Now, David Minton of Purdue University has come up with a novel solution that, by his own admission, straddles science fact and fiction. Perhaps Earth evolved closer to the Sun and through some gravitational effect, it was pushed to a higher orbit as the Sun grew hotter. But watch out, if this is true, planetary chaos awaits."

Comments

Re:On the upside though

[geekoid]

just so you know, CO2 is a poison.
Also, getting farther away and darkening the atmosphere isn't really a survivable strategy.

Re:On the upside though

[Gideon Wells]

poison/poizn/
Noun:
A substance that, when introduced into or absorbed by a living organism, causes death or injury, esp. one that kills by rapid action.

Counter: It is. Though everything is in large enough quantities. Even water. It is all about the LD50.