Quote:
Originally Posted by higginsdj
Yes, but you are stating the odds 'favourably'. What if there were only 1/billion, then the odds are not so favourable! The 'odds' don't actually tell us much with such an empty pool to work from so to speak. ie we might be odds on to see one, but it may take 1000 goes before we do.
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Even if the odds were 1/10E9, given that they are randomly distributed, the chances of one being close by will still be quite favourable...maybe not more than a few percent, but that's better than no chance at all, or very little chance (0.001% or less).
In any case, the planet doesn't have to be any good for us to be habitable. The habitability entirely depends on what you define as being habitable, and by what is going to do the habitation.
What if it was like Pandora, in Avatar. That was essentially an Earth like planet, but some of the constituents of its atmosphere were poisonous to humans. It's water was also more alkaline than water on Earth. However, that wouldn't stop plants and such from evolving to meet those conditions and there are many plants here that can tolerate high alkalinity in the soils and water. Yet despite that, with the proper precautions and equipment, people lived quite well there (not counting angry natives
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