Telegraph UK - Scientists predict life on many more planets

Earth may not be the only inhabitable planet in the universe, new research has indicated.

Scientists have designed new models for testing whether a planet could support life by searching for evidence of underground water, it was reported.

Instead of looking for surface water, the new tools identify whether there may be water kept liquid by core heat, according to the BBC.

The development could mean more planets are found to be capable of sustaining life forms.

The research, which was presented at the British Science Festival in Aberdeen, challenges the "Goldilocks" theory that planets need to be within a defined distance from the sun to support life before water either freezes or evaporates.

Sean McMahon, a PhD student from Aberdeen University, said: "It's the idea of a range of distances from a star within which the surface of an Earthlike planet is not too hot or too cold for water to be liquid.

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