622491 external_news 1560436836 1560883724 Where is complex alien life hanging out in the universe? Likely not on planets stewing in toxic gases, according to a new study that dramatically reduces the number of worlds where scientists will have the best luck finding ET. In the past, researchers defined the "habitable zone" based on the distance between the planet and its star; planets that, like Earth, orbit at just the right distance to accommodate temperatures in which liquid water could exist on the planetary surface would be considered "habitable." But while this definition works for basic, single-celled microbes, it doesn't work for complex creatures, such as animals ranging from sponges to humans, the researchers said.  "Our discoveries provide one way to decide which of these myriad planets we should observe in more detail," study co-researcher Christopher Reinhard, a former UCR graduate student who is now an assistant professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said in the statement. "We could identify otherwise-habitable planets with carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide levels that are likely too high to support complex life." This research is also covered by an article in Express.

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