Extraterrestrial Life More Common Than Previously Thought?

It’s interesting that the desperate hunt continues, with studies often giving differing results. For example, a recent article proclaimed, “Extraterrestrial life could be more common than previously thought, new study says.” The new study looked at binary star systems (where one star revolves around another, or around a common center). It concluded that a theoretical earth in this system would have a tilt similar to earth, one of the many ingredients necessary for life as we know it to exist. Since binary star systems are common, exoplanets with a tilted axis may be common as well. Therefore, they assume, life could also be common.

But then you continue reading in the article. And it mentions two previous studies:

A comprehensive study published in June found no evidence of extraterrestrial life among more than 1,300 stars in close proximity to Earth, a hunt that spanned more than three years.

A separate study published that month drastically cut the number of planets that could potentially host intelligent life, noting that the definition for the "habitable zone" – the distance between a planet and star – "is likely limited relative to that for microbial life."

God’s Word tells us that earth was specifically formed to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18).

So, which is it? Is life common, or is it not? Well, we don’t start with evolutionary assumptions. We start with God’s Word as our starting point. And God’s Word tells us that earth was specifically formed to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18). So, we don’t expect to find life on other planets.

Instead of studying the heavens and looking for signs of alien life, we should be studying the heavens because “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1) and because “great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them” (Psalm 111:2).

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This item was discussed on Monday on Answers News with cohosts Bryan Osborne, Dr. Gabriela Haynes, and Avery Foley. Answers News is our weekly news program filmed live before a studio audience here at the Creation Museum and broadcast on my Facebook page and the Answers in Genesis Facebook page. We also covered the following fascinating topics:

• Was Noah’s flood local or global?
• Did “extraterrestrial sugar” lead to life?
• Is one church denomination in Canada going extinct?
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Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.