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Could Life at TRAPPIST-1 Survive the Star's Superflares?


The TRAPPIST-1 system is exciting because of several Earth-sized worlds within the habitable zone of a red dwarf star, but it's also a dangerous environment, with powerful superflares sweeping past the planets. How would the hardiest Earth life handle that kind of environment? Researchers exposed two types of hardy Earth bacteria to TRAPPIST-1 level flares and found that both could handle it, even without any protective shielding. Life is surprisingly durable.

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