More active plate tectonics might be good for life. Plate tectonics play a key role in stabilizing the Earth’s climate, and planets smaller than Earth (like Mars) don’t have enough internal heat to sustain long-term geologic activity. A larger planet would allow for more geologic activity, which is why some scientists think that exoplanets slightly larger than Earth (“super-Earths”) could be more friendly to life than Earth-sized ones.
