Indian researchers have found 60 planets that might be potentially habitable. 

The group of scientists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) and BITS Pilani Goa looked at a total of 5,000 known planets and used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to find that life could be possible on at least 60 of them. 

The team of researchers published their findings in the journal ‘Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society’.

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The method used to find traces of the planets is called Multi-Stage Memetic Binary Tree Anomaly Identifier (MSMBTAI). The researchers, comprising a professor, an undergraduate student and a doctoral student, looked at habitable planets like Earth as anomalies. In their quest, they found 60 ‘similar anomaly candidates’, or, in other words, planets that could host human life until they are occupied by another carbon-based lifeform, stated a report in India Times.

The AI-based method is based on the memetic algorithm (MSMA). The foundational idea is that of a ‘meme’ – a piece of knowledge transferred from one person to another. The MSMA, similarly, induces new learning mechanisms using specific screening tools, according to an explainer in Mashable India. 

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The MSMBTAI method worked as a screening tool to study the 5,000 known planets on the basis of certain characteristics. The results remained the same after taking the surface temperatures of the planets into consideration. 

The team, including students Kartik Bhatia and Jyotirmoy Sarkar, have also speculated that there could be around 8,000 planets in the universe. 

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The research was undertaken under the guidance of Professor Snehanshu Saha of BITS Pilani (Goa Campus) and Dr. Margarita Safonova of Indian Institute of Astrophysics, according to an NDTV report.