A new study from scientists at the University of Washington suggests that entropy – the measure of disorder – is the key to understanding the habitability of planets. The research team used mathematical models to show that planets that sustain life must be capable of dissipating entropy, or energy, over time. This is the first study to propose entropy as a primary factor in determining the habitability of a planet.

Entropy plays an important role in understanding the habitability of a planet, according to a new study from scientists at the University of Washington. The researchers developed mathematical models of planetary systems and found that planets must be able to dissipate entropy in order to sustain life. This is the first time entropy has been proposed as a primary factor in determining habitability, and provides a new way for scientists to investigate and understand the conditions necessary for life to exist on other planets.

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source: Phys.org