← All parts of this equation

Equation 4 · Part 3 · Comparing the Main Approaches to Origins of Life and Astrobiology

Symbol 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})}
DD

What this part means

D 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

D 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

…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 exists. A biosignature…

Read this part in the article →

Learn the underlying idea

A variable is a named place for a value. Its letter is a local label: x can mean position in one formula and a data point in another.

Open the illustrated variables: a letter stands for a value guide →

See this notation across published equations →

Sources cited in the surrounding passage

These citations provide research context; check each source for the exact claim it supports.