We tend to focus on distance from it’s star and size to determine a planet’s habitability, but one of the most distinctive things about Earth is that it is essentially a two-planet system with the moon. The ratio of planet size to orbital object is pretty unique. The moon has all kinds of benefits, like tides and deflecting objects from Earth.

Then there’s the magnetosphere, which Mars doesn’t have and look what happened to it. And Jupiter’s massive size and gravitational influence play a crucial role in protecting Earth from extraterrestrial objects, including comets and asteroids.

Even with all that the Earth might never have developed intelligent life.