Re: Cinderella orbit distance is a JOKE....
"Earth has massive internal fission, replenishing oceans and constantly eroding atmosphere.
Earth has a magnetosphere, blocking destructive UV rays and massive Moon lifting the crust
and stirring the oceans. Required biosphere conditions are one in a million."
I find myself reluctantly agreeing with F.S.S. I think it's the first time, but I still feel a bit dirty...
The Earth (and our solar system) evolved in such a wildly improbable way, I think million-to-one is incredibly optimistic. Take the different characteristics in isolation, and yes; That will happen regularly. Add them all together, and the odds become "astronomical".
If we are talking about microbes and such, I think they are likely to happen elsewhere, but I think there is a reasonable chance we are the only self-aware species in the galaxy. (I deliberately didn't use "Intelligent" there, as it sets off the "Oh there is no intelligent life here either" comments, and they tend to irritate me.)