Abodes Around Red Dwarfs?

Scientists have tended to discount the possibility of life existing on planets orbiting red dwarf stars. Such stars are small, dim, and, at least early in their life cycles, given to emitting powerful bursts of radiation on a regular basis. Such stars, however, also constitute perhaps three quarters of the stars in our galaxy, so excluding them from the search for life cuts way down on the possibility of life. A new study suggests that exclusion may not be necessary.

The study argues that most of a red dwarf's violent behavior occurs in its first 2 to 3 billion years. After that, they seem to settle into a stable pattern for many billions of years. So, if a planet could retain a viable atmosphere through those early years-- or somehow develop one afterwards-- life on a planet close to a red dwarf might be possible. A larger version of Earth-- a so-called Super Earth-- could possibly do the trick.

There is also another possibility. Because red dwarfs are so long-lived and so stable after a more chaotic youth, and because they are so common throughout they galaxy, they may be adopted homes. An interstellar civilization that arose in the system of a bigger star might well plant offshoots of itself around red dwarfs, either on a planet or in a world of its own construction. By using red dwarfs, such a civilization could spread out from its home star fairly quickly.