Trappist-1e may be destroying its own atmosphere as it races around its red dwarf star host, showing there are many ways for planets to lose habitability. The findings could refine our search for life in the wider cosmos.

A nearby exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of a star just 4.2 light-years from Earth may be home to a vast ocean, boosting its chances of supporting life. Since its discovery, questions about the conditions at the surface of Proxima b have been swirling; the planet's mass is just about 1.3 times that of Earth's, and the red dwarf star it circles is similar in age to our sun.

The challenges of interstellar travel are immense. However, one scientist has proposed an easier (albeit very slow) way to move between stars: let free-floating planets carry us. If she's right, it could change how we search for life elsewhere in the universe.