Life on Earth has nearly been wiped out again and again over time. How has this planet stayed habitable for billions of years?

A new study implies that in part, we're just lucky. https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/why-is-earth-still-habitable-after-billions-of-years-in-part-were-just-lucky
Why is Earth still habitable after billions of years? In part, we're

When you look around you, almost anywhere on Earth, you see life. Earth seems exquisitely supportive of life: We see it in the air, in the water, in the land, and even deep underground. But was that

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/why-is-earth-still-habitable-after-billions-of-years-in-part-were-just-lucky
2/ The study simulated climates of a hundred thousand planets, simplifying them to a series of mathematical equations, and kept track of the temperatures over billions of years. Each planet was simulated 100 times with slightly different initial conditions to see what happened.
3/ How many planets had liveable temps for all that time over every run?

*One*. Ouch.

But a lot remained habitable at least once out of 100 runs each.

What he showed is that it's a mix of climate feedbacks and random chance that keeps a planet liveable over the eons.
4/ The sims weren't full-up climate models, so this isn't a hugely realistic study. But it's a cool first step in understanding habitability this way, and can guide future studies.And it makes predictions that can be tested.
5/ There's a philosophical outcome as well, helping us appreciate how resilient a planet can be.

BUT that's only looking at temperature. Our species is far more fragile than that. We have created a civilization where we depend on things not changing. If they do, catastrophe.
6/ And we ourselves are the agent of that change. Fiddling with the climate, overfarming, overfishing... we've set ourselves up to be easily toppled if something happens. A major solar storm, an asteroid impact... we need to make sure we're more robust.
7/ I'm rather hoping that the Biden Administration coming in will help there. Less reliance on fossil fuel, better trade conditions, a desire to be connected with others and the environment itself. All these can help us bend, not break, if something happens. We'll see.
8/8 Just because Earth may seem OK now doesn't mean it always will be. We need to be aware of that, and understand better our interdependence with this planet.

Something to think about as the year winds down and a new one begins. https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/why-is-earth-still-habitable-after-billions-of-years-in-part-were-just-lucky
Why is Earth still habitable after billions of years? In part, we're

When you look around you, almost anywhere on Earth, you see life. Earth seems exquisitely supportive of life: We see it in the air, in the water, in the land, and even deep underground. But was that

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/why-is-earth-still-habitable-after-billions-of-years-in-part-were-just-lucky
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