According to a SETI release, this balance is the result of billions of years of co-evolution between life and atmosphere. Dr. Lammer<\/a> noted that processes such as the carbon-silicate cycle, the rise of oxygen, and the recycling of nitrogen all contributed to the planet\u2019s long-term stability. But the tolerances are narrow. Too much CO\u2082 becomes toxic, while too little makes the upper atmosphere unstable. Oxygen levels above 300 millibars, meanwhile, introduce a serious fire hazard. <\/p>\n Red Dwarfs May Host Planets, But Not The Right Kind<\/p>\n Although M-dwarfs, commonly known as red dwarfs<\/a>, make up the majority of stars in the galaxy, planets orbiting them face a range of severe challenges. According to Dr. Lammer, these stars emit strong ultraviolet and X-ray radiation, which heats planetary atmospheres and causes gases to escape into space over time. Even atmospheres dominated by CO\u2082, which typically help cool the upper layers, struggle to survive under such intense bombardment.<\/p>\n This concern has been reinforced by recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope<\/a>, which failed to detect any atmosphere on several planets in the TRAPPIST-1 <\/a>system. Even if some planets retain a thin atmosphere, other problems persist: many become tidally locked, creating permanent day and night sides; some suffer atmospheric freeze-out on the night side; others lack large, stabilizing moons. <\/p>\n Earth-like Planets May Be Fewer Than We Thought<\/p>\n Trying to figure out just how rare Earth-like planets really are, the researchers put together a stripped-down version of the Drake Equation<\/a>. Instead of using broad guesses, they focused only on things we can actually measure, like how often rocky planets show up in the habitable zone, how likely they are to keep an atmosphere, and where they sit in the galaxy.<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Two-distant-exoplanets-drift-through-the-cosmic-void-1200x600.jpg.webp.webp\")
Two distant exoplanets drift through the cosmic void. Credit: SETI<\/p>\n