There could be many more Earth-like planets hosting liquid water, increasing the odds of finding alien life outside the Solar System, a new analysis suggests.

Even on a planet where conditions are not ideal for water to exist on the surface, there may still be liquid water under its surface, found the research presented at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Lyon and published recently in the journal Nature Communications.

“Our work shows that this water can be found in places we had not much considered. This significantly increases the chances of finding environments where life could, in theory, develop,” said study co-author Lujendra Ojha from Rutgers University.

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Read more: Independent