"Scientists Predict Discovery of Ancient Microbial Life on Nearby Exoplanets"

A new study by astrophysicist Piero Madau suggests that if simple life is abundant in the universe, it is likely to be old, with microbial life potentially emerging more than 8 billion years ago on one third of all candidate life-bearing planets. Madau's research indicates that within 326 light years of the Sun, there could be as many as 10,000 rocky planets in the habitable zone. The formation of these planets likely occurred through episodic star formation events billions of years ago. While the search for extraterrestrial civilizations remains elusive, upcoming telescopes and instrumentation may provide better insights into the presence of habitable worlds and biosignatures.