Science loves to classify. It's a way of organizing knowledge. Everything in the universe is part of some classification scheme. A British researcher has now developed a classification regime for life bearing worlds.
In this scheme, there are four classes: Earth-type, Mars-type, Europa-type, and water worlds. The final two are largely the inverses of earth other. Europa has an ice shell with an ocean (presumably) underneath, while a water world is covered in a water ocean with an ice shell surrounding the core of the planet. It could be argued, of course, that Earth and Mars are not, in fact, distinct types, but rather variations on a broader theme that mixes land, water, and atmosphere.
As often happens, the universe is likely to be far more imaginative and resourceful than any human can conceive.
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