Universe Today

Would Earth Still Be Habitable Without Us?

Researchers have built the most detailed computer model of a lifeless Earth, reproducing 19 pre‑industrial benchmarks over 4.5 billion years. The model shows that geological processes alone can maintain temperate surface conditions and liquid water without any biology. It also generates a synthetic spectrum of a barren, habitable planet. These results are critical for NASA’s upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory, which will need to distinguish true biosignatures from abiotic signals when imaging exoplanets.