- Summary: New research indicates that there may be many more dwarf planets similar to Pluto in our solar system than previously thought. Studying these distant objects can help astrobiologists understand the basic properties of our solar system and the effects that dwarf planets might have on other celestial bodies, such as Earth... Some scientists also believe that impactors that have struck Earth in the past, such as comets, could have originated from this mysterious region of the solar system. Studying Kuiper Belt objects can help astrobiologists understand the likelyhood of such objects entering into collision-course orbits with Earth in the future. Full story:
http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/3473/picking-planets-from-potatoes
* NASA: Sun's Nemesis Pelted Earth with Comets, Study Suggests:
http://cristiannegureanu.blogspot.com/2010/03/suns-nemesis-pelted-earth-with-comets.html
