An article published in “The Astrophysical Journal” reports a study on so-called lava worlds, rocky exoplanets so close to their stars that at least a part of their surface is made up of molten rock. A team of researchers coordinated by the Ohio State University conducted computer simulations with the free / open source software ExoPlex to try to understand the evolution of these truly exotic planets, concluding that in certain cases, it’s possible that significant quantities of chemicals necessary for life remain trapped in their mantle. It remains unlikely, to say the least, that life forms could develop in those conditions, but if a planet of that type were to cool, the situation would change considerably. In any case, it’s important to understand its evolution because there may be many lava worlds that offer the possibility of studying a molten planetary mantle.