Planets around stars with fewer metals are considered more favorable for life

Göttingen: A study suggests that planets in the habitable zone around stars that do not have many metal-rich atmospheres could be good targets for the search for signs of life.

The presence of large amounts of ultraviolet rays can damage the DNA of living organisms. The presence of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere and the ozone layer protect the planet from harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun.

However, the amount of these rays emitted by different stars varies. Where the amount of ultraviolet rays is low, the ozone layer around the planet is low, so there is less protection from ultraviolet rays.

In a study published in Nature Communications, the researchers said that new stars formed during the evolution of the universe are rich in metals that expose organisms to intense ultraviolet radiation.

The researchers said the findings suggest that planets orbiting stars that are low in metals are the best targets for the search for life.

However, it is unclear whether the metallicity of the stars affects the shielding of ultraviolet radiation and the habitability of a planet.

Anna Shapiro of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany and her colleagues modeled the atmospheres of hypothetical Earth-like planets with different metallicities in their central stars.

The research found that planets with less metal content in their central stars had more layers of protection from ultraviolet rays, which could mean the presence of possible life.