Where in the universe can life evolve? When scientists discuss this question, they’re usually talking about what kinds of planets might support life. But some researchers are thinking bigger.
In recent years, astronomers have been investigating whether some types of galaxies are more hospitable to life than others. Unsurprisingly, most researchers think large spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way might be good candidates for life. But in a recent paper, one research team proposes that some dwarf galaxies may be another category of habitable galaxies. Though studies of galactic habitability are “in their infancy,” as the study’s authors note, this research poses fundamental questions about how life in the universe comes to be.
“It’s almost [a] completely new field, terra incognita, so to speak,” study author Milan Ćirković of the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade said via email. “Such things are always exciting.”
Large spiral galaxies are one galaxy type ...
