Alien Life on Planets May Depend on Planet's Tilt

Alien Life May Not Survive on Planets With Uranus-Like Tilts

Adam Hadhazy

Date: 08 February 2012 Time: 02:11 PM ET

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Planets with sizable tilts on their spin-axes should have extreme seasonal temperatures. CREDIT: NASA View full size image

If you think summer is too hot or winter unbearably cold, take solace that in the distant past seasons on our planet might have been much harsher. However, the advent of milder seasons did more than offer comfort, some scientists suggest.
Subdued seasonality might be linked to the emergence of complex life on Earth around 600 million years ago. On alien worlds, extreme seasonal spikes and plunges in temperature could likewise determine whether life teems, scrapes by, or dies. 

MORE: http://www.space.com/14509-alien-planets-planetary-tilt-search-life.html

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