New Research Suggests Intelligent Life May Be Common in the Universe

A Penn State-led study challenges the 'hard-steps' model, proposing that intelligent life evolves predictably under suitable planetary conditions.

The study argues that human evolution was not a rare accident but a natural outcome of Earth's environmental changes over time.
Researchers critique the decades-old 'hard-steps' model, which suggested intelligent life required a series of highly improbable events.
Key evolutionary milestones, such as photosynthesis and complex animal life, are reinterpreted as predictable outcomes of planetary feedback loops.
The new model increases the likelihood of intelligent life existing elsewhere, as similar conditions could arise on other planets.
Future research will test the model by analyzing biosignatures on exoplanets and studying environmental factors that drive evolutionary innovations.