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With a gravity 60% higher than on Earth, a human would weigh much more on Gliese 667 Cc. In addition, the atmosphere could be more massive and therefore exert a pressure greater than that on Earth. If the atmosphere resembles that of Venus, the pressure could be equivalent to that found several kilometers under the Earth’s oceans.
Life potential and challenges
Life forms on Gliese 667 Cc will have to adapt to weak and fluctuating light intensities, potentially high atmospheric pressure and frequent stellar eruptions emanating from the parent star. However, this does not mean that it is impossible for life to form there. Examples of remarkable adaptability of life on Earth show that difficult conditions are not insurmountable.
Next steps of the discovery
The discovery of densely populated planetary systems around M-dwarf stars, such as Gliese 667 C, suggests that there may be many planetary systems with several potentially habitable planets. Since M dwarfs make up more than 70% of all stars in our cosmic neighborhood, the number of promising systems in our galaxy is probably much larger than previously thought.
Instead of looking for a single potentially ten-star-potential planet, scientists can now focus on a single star to find multiple candidates for an "Earth 2.0". With the development of new advanced telescopes, our ability to unveil the mysteries of the universe is growing at an exponential rate.
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