# Waterworlds?



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy (Feb 16, 2004)

In this article, Marcus Chown (who has written a lot of excellent science fact, as well as a couple of rather good SF novels in colaboration with John Gribbin) explores the possibility of the existance of giant, marine planets in other planetary systems. 

An interesting aspect to this:



> What about the prospects for life? Well, on Earth, we believe life got started in nutrient-rich waters close to volcanic vents on the sea floor. The crucial factor, therefore, is how much ice at the foot of the ocean separates the water from the planet's volcanic interior. "If it is a thin layer, the prospects for life are good," says Sotin. "If it's thick, they're not."


 
The whole article is here: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/story.jsp?story=489934


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## Brian G Turner (Feb 29, 2004)

Darn it - you have to pay for the article, which is a shame. Marcus Chown is a regular contributor to New Scientist, so I guess I'll have to hope he covers the issue more in depth there. I _have_ read something about the issue - no doubt Marcus Chown dropping comments in New Scientist already. 


EDIT: Chown not Chwon! Corrected my typo.


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## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy (Feb 29, 2004)

Hmmm..I probably saw it before it was moved into the payed archive - I'll see if I can link to cached copy later, unless Chown does that NS article firrst.


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## Brian G Turner (Apr 4, 2004)

Just found an older thread where I reprinted something from Nature.com on this subject:

http://www.chronicles-network.net/forum/showthread.php?t=533


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