An Earth-sized planet about 12 light years away is generating a repeating radio signal.
No, this is probably not somebody else's SETI beacon, but it still might be a sign of aliens. The signal is, in fact, coming from the interactions between YZ Ceti (the star) and YZ Ceti b (the planet).
It indicates that YZ Ceti b, which is about the size of Earth, has a strong magnetic field.
Which is required for a planet to be habitable.
Alas, while I'm not joking about the aliens, YZ Ceti b's proximity to its star means it is likely too warm for any kind of life we know about.
But it does have a magnetic field, which allows it to hold an atmosphere, which...
If we can find the same signal from a planet a bit further out, we may well have found aliens. Perhaps not the kind of aliens we can talk to, perhaps they won't be sapient or technological.
But life has to exist out there somewhere.
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