--- title: "Study: Icy Planets Could Be Warm Enough to Harbor Life" description: "A new study suggests that extraterrestrial life might be possible after all on distant icy planets that conventionally are thought to be too cold." date: "2019-07-30" modified: "2019-07-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/icy-planets-warm-enough-harbor-life" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "habitable planet" - "habitable world" - "habitable zone" - "ice planets" - "the digest" --- # Study: Icy Planets Could Be Warm Enough to Harbor Life ![A new study suggests that extraterrestrial life might be possible after all on distant icy planets that conventionally are thought to be too cold.]() *\Image: Image via Pxhere/Victor Tangermann\* ## Hoth Boi Clique New research by a team of astronomers at the University of Toronto suggests that extraterrestrial life could survive on icy planets which, until now, were thought to be too cold. The researchers ran thousands of simulations to explore the temperature fluctuations of planets inside habitable zones — the range of distances from a central star where planets with Earth-like liquid water. "You have these planets that traditionally you might consider not habitable and this suggests that maybe they can be," said Adiv Paradise, an astronomer and physicist at the University of Toronto and lead author of the study, in a statement. ## Snowballs The Toronto scientists found that many Earth-like planets could feature "large unfrozen areas of land" even when they are in a "snowball state" — when large ice-covered oceans cover much of the planet's surface, as described in [the study](), published in the *Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets*. These unfrozen areas could reach "summer temperatures in excess of 10° Celsius," according to their model — warm enough for life. That's also warm enough to release enough carbon dioxide, further heating the planet and potentially thawing its ice-covered oceans. **READ MORE:** [Study suggests frozen Earthlike planets could support life]() \[*American Geophysical Union*\] **More on icy moons:** *[Study: There's Way More Water on the Moon Than We Thought]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()