  No matter how fascinating and exotic other terrestrial planets are revealed
to be, nothing generates more excitement than announcements regarding their
habitability. From the observation of Mars to present-day efforts toward Venus
and the characterization of exoplanets, the search for life, or at least
environments that could accommodate life, has been a major drive for space
exploration. So far, we have found no other unquestionably habitable world
besides Earth. The conditions of the habitability of terrestrial planets have
proved elusive, as surface conditions depend on the complex interplay of many
processes throughout the evolution of a planet. Here, we review how the
interior of a rocky planet can drive the evolution of surface conditions and
the atmosphere. Instead of listing criteria assumed to be critical for life, we
discuss how the bulk-silicate planet can affect the onset, continuation and
cessation of habitability. We then consider how it can be observed and current
efforts towards this end.
