Scientists Just Figured Out How Much Time Is Left for Life on Earth - Yahoo
A new study suggests that Earth's biosphere may remain habitable for approximately 1.8 billion years before the Sun's increasing luminosity makes life unsustainable. This timeline is significantly longer than previous estimates but still precedes the Sun's eventual transition into a Red Giant.
Why it matters
Understanding the long-term habitability of Earth provides context for planetary science and the future of life in the solar system.
Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:Some scientists think that in five billion years, as the Sun ages and transforms into a Red Giant, Earth will be swallowed whole, effectively ending its 10-billion-year-long existence.However, due to the Sun’s increasing luminosity, life on Earth will be gone long before that celestial cataclysm takes place.A new study predicts that plant life will possibly hold out on Earth more than 1.8 billion years from now—a much higher estimate than past studies have suggested.All good things come to an end, including life on Earth. In roughly 5 billion years, the Sun will exhaust its stores of hydrogen and begin burning helium, transitioning into a Red Giant and swallowing Earth in the process (maybe).
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