'Ultracool' Dwarf Star Hosts Three Potentially Habitable Earth-Sized Planets Just 40 Light-Years Away

The search for Earth-like planets -- and life -- beyond the solar system has long been the stuff of science fiction and fantasy. But today's ground and space telescopes, high-precision instruments and advanced analysis techniques have made this search an active area of real scientific research. Hundreds of terrestrial worlds have been found over the past several years, including a handful at the right distance from their host star to have conditions amenable to liquid water on their rocky surfac...