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Equation 4 · Part 2 · Comparing the Main Approaches to Origins of Life and Astrobiology

Symbol H_bio

P(Hbio∣D)=P(D∣Hbio) P(Hbio)P(D∣Hbio) P(Hbio)+P(D∣Hab) P(Hab)P(H_{bio} \mid D) = \frac{P(D \mid H_{bio})\, P(H_{bio})}{P(D \mid H_{bio})\, P(H_{bio}) + P(D \mid H_{ab})\, P(H_{ab})}
HbioH_{bio}

What this part means

HbH_bio is an argument of the function-like quantity on the left; its role is set by that function’s stated inputs.

Its job in the formula

HbH_bio is an argument of the function-like quantity on the left; its role is set by that function’s stated inputs.

The passage around this formula

…specific abiotic alternative hypotheses, yields a posterior probability rather than a binary yes-or-no verdict [ 7 ] . Written compactly, for a single candidate abiotic alternative HabH_{ab} competing with a life hypothesis HbioH_{bio} given data D : P(Hbio∣D)=P(D∣Hbio) P(Hbio)P(D∣Hbio) P(Hbio)+P(D∣Hab) P(Hab)P(H_{bio} \mid D) = \frac{P(D \mid H_{bio})\, P(H_{bio})}{P(D \mid H_{bio})\, P(H_{bio}) + P(D \mid H_{ab})\, P(H_{ab})}. The formula is not a calculator anyone runs to get a number; the value of stating it is that it forces every claim to name its competing abiotic hypothesis explicitly rather than treating the absence of an alternative explanation as evidence that none…

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A subscript is a label attached below a symbol. It often selects a time step, component, category, or member of a sequence.

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Sources cited in the surrounding passage

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