<ul><li>A new study from Rice University suggests that Earth-like planets may be more common in the universe than previously thought.</li><li>The study challenges old ideas by proposing that planets form in narrow rings of material around young stars, rather than from scattered space dust.</li><li>The researchers used N-body models to simulate planet formation and found that super-Earths tend to form closer to the star, while mini-Neptunes form farther out.</li><li>The model also suggests that some Earth-like planets could potentially exist in the habitable zone, where liquid water may be present.</li></ul>

Earth-like planets may be more common than we thought

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