The Sun is both creator and destroyer. The one that can foster life one second and eliminate it the next. Most people are familiar with the harmful and hazardous effects the Sun can have to life on Earth if solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections, and their associated radiation, are delivered in just the right way and at high enough intensities.
But those same sets of destructive forces could actually have helped jump start and aid the formation of life on Earth. Therefore, searching for solar flares from other stars could provide critical insight into those systems’ potential to support life.