Life on other planets is unlikely.
Alien life is unlikely to exist on other planets
Scientists have claimed that life could be unique to Earth and that the chance of finding aliens on other planets has been vastly overrated.
This is because few planets spend enough time in the "habitable zone", where there is likely to be liquid water on the surface.
The zone changes as a star's brightness and temperature evolve - rather than remaining static as is often assumed.
NASA scientist Dr. Noah Tuchow said: "If life cannot exist on these planets, it might have major implications for the abundance of life in the universe."
Boffins in the US have now dubbed them "belatedly habitable planets" and found that the phenomenon could apply to as many as three-quarters of the planets on the solar system, drastically reducing the chance of finding aliens.