00:04When looking for life out in the cosmos, astronomers first look for a rocky world like Earth,
00:09one with water, and other necessities for life as we know it.
00:12However, a new study published in Astrobiology submits a new premise for life in the vacuum of space,
00:18one which subverts previous notions about how living organisms might develop.
00:22The paper posits that in lieu of a planet, organisms might create their own self-sustaining habitats independently,
00:28with the researchers challenging the notion that life requires the presence of planetary gravity wells
00:33to stabilize liquid water and regulate surface temperature.
00:36They outline how biologically generated barriers capable of maintaining pressure, temperature,
00:41and able to block the deadly UV rays of a star could exist,
00:44adding that creatures that might live on these non-planetary worlds
00:47must modify or adapt to its environment enough to surmount these challenges.
00:51That's something that already happens on Earth in areas that would be deemed uninhabitable by most flora or fauna.
00:57They add that maintaining a certain pressure within a self-sustaining biosphere to maintain liquid water would also be key.
01:03They point to certain seaweeds on Earth that are capable of sustaining internal float nodules by releasing CO2.
01:08They add that creatures on Earth have independently achieved most of the abilities that would be needed to sustain one
01:13of these biospheres,
01:14meaning that evolutionary pathways outside of traditionally habitable planets may be possible.
