Not in Our Stars

Where Are All the Aliens?

Last year, there was considerable excitement among astronomy and space exploration enthusiasts, especially those who adhere to worldview commitments limited to time, chance, and chemical ingredients as the only sources for a tenable explanation of the origin and existence of life. The hubbub arose when NASA announced the discovery of a “potentially habitable ‘super-Earth’” that is a mere 137 light years distant from us. As is the custom in science reporting about such discoveries, the “potentially habitable” assertion breaks down as soon as one reads into the details about the discovery. The planet, TOI-715b, orbits an M-dwarf class star, meaning that it cannot be at all habitable, given the properties...