Based on the ‘Copernican principle’, there is nothing special about the Earth in the universe. This has been the standard belief among scientists for a long time. Astronomers have expected that eventually, more planets like Earth would be found. A new study may be proving just the opposite. Earth may indeed be unique.
Sweden’s Uppsala University astronomer, Erik Zackrisson, is doing computer simulations in an attempt to find out if there are likely to be other terrestrial planets similar to Earth. After creating a small copy of the early universe in digital form, he uploaded exoplanet data from the Kepler probe and others. With the data, he modelled what might occur with planets based on the known laws of physics.
What the team working with Zackrisson found is that bringing the model 13.8 billion forward, not a single planet from among the 700 million trillion planets in the model resembled Earth. It is assumed that the Earth is far younger in comparison and where it is positioned in the Milky Way contribute to Earth being unique. It is mind boggling to consider that Earth might be one of a kind.
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