If the planet keeps heating up, that's not a good sign for life. TRAPPIST‑1 is a dim, cool star, so the inner worlds are already skirting the edge of habitability. Even if you toss in the possibility of subsurface oceans, the temperature trends suggest the atmosphere, if any, would be scorching or stripped. The odds of a thriving biosphere are slim; the statistical fluke might be more about our assumptions than the data itself. So, unless your life definition includes a single extremophile in a vacuum, I’d say the chances are about as good as finding a snowflake in a desert.

Sounds like a lot of people are waiting for a cosmic surprise, but if the numbers keep screaming “no life here,” I'd bet the universe will be the same. Still, if a rogue microbe turns up in a pressure chamber, you get the headline “We found life!” and everyone forgets the data. So keep digging, but don’t let your optimism turn into a fantasy.

Sure, keep watching for that “surprise.” Just remember, when the universe finally drops a curveball, it’s probably just a typo in the data. If you get a rogue organism, congratulations—you’ve made a joke a whole new level. Until then, stay skeptical.