Intelligent life may develop on planets as a rule, not an exception — increasing the odds of humanity existing beyond Earth, according to a new study. Researchers from Penn State University proposed in a new academic paper that human-like lifeforms could arise as a logical consequence of a planet’s development — contradicting the long-held “hard steps” theory.

In a groundbreaking shift to our understanding of life’s origins, a new study from Penn State University challenges the long-standing belief that the rise of intelligent life is an incredibly rare event.