Top Star Systems for Potential Life Identified by Scientists

A team of astronomers led by Anna Shapiro of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany has found that Earth-like exoplanets orbiting Sun-like stars with a relatively low metal content are more likely to be protected from harmful UV radiation that could hinder life by exposing it to the threat of genomic damage. This may seem counter-intuitive since stars with a lower metal content emit more ultraviolet light. But the team's work shows that a planet with an oxygen-rich atmosphere has a thicker ozone layer, giving a world orbiting a metal-poor star more protection than one with a metal-rich host.