The Panspermia Theory – Can It Be Proven?
93Panspermia
There are a number of theories about the origin of life. The orthodox one that has been accepted in the scientific world for more than two thousand years is that of spontaneous generation. Although there is some evidence in support of it, it has not yet been proven. The Panspermia Theory suggests that life did not originate on the planet Earth, but came from space. The word panspermia comes from Greek and means seeds (spermia) everywhere (pan). In fact, its broader concept suggests that simple life forms can travel throughout space and develop in any environment. Another aspect of the theory the touches upon the evolution of life suggests that the development of living organisms into higher forms is genetically encoded and comes from space. This is in contrast to Darwin’s Theory, which suggests that the life forms evolved to adapt more successfully to the surrounding natural environment. The scientific community has broadly accepted this view so far, but there is evidence to support the Panspermia Theory.
It is important to keep in mind that this rather innovative theory is not science fiction and has been suggested by reputable scientists after considerable research. Two British astronomers, Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe, discovered that traces of life could travel with the intervening dust of light from distant stars. They also suggested that bacteria could travel safely around space carried by comets, whose structure of ice protects them from the harmful cosmic influences. It has been further proposed by panspermia theorists that the rocks on various planets could become expelled from their surfaces due to a deep impact and carry life forms through space. In this way an interplanetary exchange of life occurs.
It is now widely accepted that there are ingredients in outer space that can possibly turn into life forms. This has been supported by studies that found it possible for complex organic chemical compounds such as amino acids, which form proteins – the building blocks of life, to be produced from simpler ones such as methane and ammonia. Also, evidence has been found that some genes are older than the most ancient fossil records found. However, scientists have not yet discovered another place in the Universe like the Earth that can provided similar environmental conditions that can aid the sustainment and evolution of simple life forms. Supporters of the Panspermia Theory challenge this argument by giving examples with bacteria and microbes. These living organisms can survive extreme temperatures from as low as -196°C to as high as 113°C. Furthermore, these life forms can withstand the harmful cosmic influences such as radiation, high pressure and ionizing.
Still, even if it is accepted that bacteria are immortal and can exist in any possible environment, this does not explain how it can evolve into different life forms without specific environmental conditions being present. The supporters of the panspermia hypothesis argue that there are places in the Universe that can provide for the existence and evolution of life from bacteria. Scientific studies have suggested that Mars has contained water in the past. There are also substantial speculations that one of Jupiter’s Moons Europa may have underground water oceans, which could support life. These are only possibilities and they have not been proven yet. Moreover, water is essential for life to flourish, but it is not the only element necessary for existence and survival of living organisms.
The larger part of the scientific community is not yet convinced that bacteria can travel trough space. An experiment carried out by German scientists to prove this is possible achieved a considerable success. Bacterial spores were mixed with ingredients such as Martian meteorite particles, clay and red stone particles. This was supposed to represent the natural conditions that the soil on Mars would create. The mixture was taken to outer space by a Russian satellite and the life forms were exposed to the cosmic conditions for a period of two weeks. At the end of the experiment scientists found that the spores had naturally mixed with the other components and have managed to survive. Another study showed that bacteria can exist for up to six years in space as long as they are protected from radiation. This is a very short period of time especially in terms of the travel distances in the Universe, where a comet or meteorite could travel for millions of years before reaching a host planet. However, back in the 1990’s it was discovered that bacteria could survive without having a working metabolism for over 250 million years. At present with the development of technologies, further studies are carried out to discover more on the life and survival rate of bacteria both on Earth and in outer space.
The Panspermia Theory proposes that life on Earth has come from space and did not originate here. The strongest evidence in support of this claim so far has come from a meteorite found in Antarctica in 1984 called Allan Hills 84001. It was expelled from the surface of Mars over 15 million years ago to land on the Earth’s South Pole. After an examination of the meteorite samples it was revealed back in 1996 that Allan Hills 84001 contained remnants of terrestrial nanobacteria. This was a major discovery that was publically accepted as a proof of the existence of similar life forms to the Earth ones elsewhere in the Universe. The enthusiastic supporters of panspermia grew in numbers and the notion that life came from Mars to Earth gained a large popularity. However, despite the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and amino acids in Allan Hills 84001, the majority of scientists found the evidence insufficient to prove the existence of life forms. It has also been suggested that these organic compounds might have been created through the meteorite’s interaction with the ice on Antarctica.
Stronger evidence in support of the Panspermia Theory came in 2001 when two Italian scientists from the University of Naples, molecular biologist Giuseppe Geraci and geologist Bruno D'Argenio, discovered bacteria in a meteorite that is over 4.5 billion years old. The spores had found shelter in the crystal structure of the minerals that were present in the formation. The two scientists claimed that they had managed to resurrect the bacteria in a standard medium. The spores survived even after a treatment with alcohol at very high temperatures. The most interesting finding was that the DNA of the bacteria from the meteorite is not found in any other similar life form on Earth. It was later determined that it is an unknown strain of types of existing bacteria, but no further studies have been made to explore the origin of the found organisms further.
The question of whether life has extraterrestrial origin remains open. It is believed that thanks to the ever developing advancement of technology, solid evidence to support or refute the panspermia hypothesis will be found. Prominent scientists from all over the world agree that further exploration of the space and the cosmic bodies is necessary to discover life elsewhere in the Universe. It has been further proposed that improving and increasing the number of human ventures into space rather than just sending machines will bring more success in finding alien life. Some bolder propositions also include the building of permanent human bases on other planets. It should be noted, however, that even of extraterrestrial forms of life are found they might not be what we expect. This again might raise the issue of whether the origins of life are universal and develop in accordance with a generically set program.
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You are welcome :)
Hi Michelle,very interesting hub!
And what a small world! My daughter (studying Astronomy, like you perhaps!) had a lecture by Chandra Wickramasinghe and was amazed by him, on the origin of life, in Cardiff University.
It's probably my fault she studied Astronomy anyway 'cos I've always been obsessed with this stuff.
I'm going to send her the link to this article, if you don't mind!
Thanks!
is there any data on which to base the claim of the panspermia theory
EarthLife Genesis By 2011 Data
- Earth's primal ORGANISMS are RNAs, good Sun radiation absorption-constraint, self-replicating mass formats. Corroborating
evidence: life's chirality and life's sleep.
- All EarthLife is evolved RNAs. All self-replicators are organisms, including genomes. DNA selected for some genomes being
energetically stabler than RNA.
- Life's drive: RNA's natural selection, enhance-maintain Earth's biosphere, exploit-postpone Sun's and Earth's energy prior
to their fueling universe expansion.
- Drive of Life's evolution: Natural selection is ubiquitous for ALL mass-formats/spin-arrays; must ingest energy-or-mass to
delay-postpone eventual own reconversion to energy, all of which is destined to fuel expansion of the universe. Universe
expansion reconverts singularity's mass to energy. Eventually, as nearly all massfuel is consumed, expansion will be
overcome by gravity to initiate re-empansion to singularity, reconverting ALL energy to ALL mass.
Dov Henis
(Comments From 22nd Century)
http://www.scientistsolutions.com/t18894-update+co
http://www.the-scientist.com/community/user/profil
Seed of Human-Chimp Genomes Diversity
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2SF3CJJM5OU6T27OC4MFQSDYEU
03.2010 Updated Life Manifest
http://www.the-scientist.com/community/posts/list/
Evolution, Natural Selection, Derive From Cosmic Expansion
http://darwiniana.com/2010/09/05/the-question-redu
Rethink Evolution/Natural Selection
Update Comprehension Of Universe/Life Evolution, Of RNA/DNA Mismatch-Relationship
Genome is evolved by-for RNAs, like all other Earth organisms:
THE National Science And Technology Policy ISSUE In The USA (And Therefore Elsewhere...)
The early 20th century brief burst of scientific evolution started expiring 90 years ago, at the birth of the "scientists" (what does this mean?) trade-union AAAS. True to the AAAS trade-union interests the scientific evolution has grown into the technology-industrial evolution, with evolved counter-enlightenment, greed culture.
Re Science Education, it's about WHAT, not about HOW, is taught.
"Scientists" tradeunion-politically-controled "science" cannot be advanced/updated regardless of education system...
See the C signature link...
Unravel Some Of Nature's Complexities, A + B + C
(adnauseam, ad shown where these data-based statements are wrong)
A.
UNRAVEL COMPLEXITIES OF GENETICS.
Extend Evolution/Natural Selection Backward To Genes/Genomes, BOTH ARE ORGANISMS.
Again, Correct Some Figments Of Science Imagination
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2SF3CJJM5OU6T27OC4MFQSDYEU
1. Dark energy and matter YOK. Per E=Total[m(1 + D)] all the energy and matter of the universe are accounted for.
Adopt space-massdistance concept, mass-to-energy reconversion.
2. Higgs Particle YOK. Mass forms below some value of the above D.
3. Galactic clusters formed by conglomeration?
Galactic clusters formed by Big-Bang's dispersion, evidenced by their Newtonian behaviour including expansion acceleration.
4. The universe expansion is fueled by the mass-to-enrgy reconversion. Eventually, as expansion will slow down, will run out of massfuel, gravity will overcome expansion and initiate empansion back to singularity. The universe is a cyclic array of energy-mass dualism, between all-energy and all-mass poles, under omnipresent gravity.
5. Natural Selection is a trait of organisms, life?
No. Natural selection is ubiquitous for ALL mass formats, all spin arrays. It derives from the expansion of the universe. All mass formats, regardless of size and type, from black holes to smallest particles, strive to increase their constrained energy in attempt to postpone their own reconversion to energy, to the energy that fuels cosmic expansion.
6. Life is an enigma?
Life is just another type of mass array, a self-replicating mass array. Earth life is a replicating RNAs mass. It has always been and still is an RNA world. ALL Earth's organisms are evolved RNAs, evolved for maintaining-enhancing Earth's biosphere, for prolonging RNAs survival.
7. Cells are Earth-life's primal organisms?
NO. Earth's life day one was the day on which RNA began replicating. RNAs, genes, are ORGANISMS. And so are their evolved templates, (RNA and DNA) genomes, ORGANISMS, as evidenced by life's chirality and by life's sleep.
8. Circadian Schmircadian sleep origin?
Sleep is inherent for life via the RNAs, the primal Earth ORGANISMS originated and originally active only under direct sunlight, in their pre-metabolism genesis era.
9. Epigenetics are heritable gene functions changes not involving changes in DNA sequence?
The "heritable or enduring changes" are epiDNAtics, not epigenetics. Alternative splicing is not epigenetics, even if/when not involving alteration of the DNA sequence. Earth life is an RNA world.
10.Genetics drive biology and culture modifications?
NO. It is culture that modifies genetics, not genetics that modifies culture. Culture modifies genetics simply via the evolutionary natural selection process of the RNA ORGANISMS. Likewise many natural genetic changes are due to aging and/or circumstantial effects on the genes and/or genomes ORGANISMS, similar to aging and/or evolutionary processes in monocell communities or in multicelled organisms.
SCIENCE SHOULD UNFREEZE. SCIENCE SHOULD ADJUST ITS VISION, COMPREHENSION AND CONCEPTS.
Dov Henis
(Comments From 22nd Century)
http://www.the-scientist.com/community/user/profil
Seed of Human-Chimp Genomes Diversity
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2SF3CJJM5OU6T27OC4MFQSDYEU
03.2010 Updated Life Manifest
http://www.the-scientist.com/community/posts/list/
Evolution, Natural Selection, Derive From Cosmic Expansion
http://darwiniana.com/2010/09/05/the-question-redu
Rethink Evolution/Natural Selection
http://darwiniana.com/2011/03/29/comment-from-dov-
==========================
B.
Quantum Mechanics Of Life
Life's Evolution Is The Quantum Mechanics Of Biology
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2SF3CJJM5OU6T27OC4MFQSDYEU
From "Essence Of Quantum Mechanics"
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2SF3CJJM5OU6T27OC4MFQSDYEU
The universe, and life within it, are not just conglomerations of mechanisms. The universe, and life within it, have come into being by the nature of energy-mass dualism, and their fate, their final outcome, is governed by this dualism. The genesis and, most probable cyclic, existence of the universe are governed by the energy-mass relationship.
Energy-mass relationship governs also the routes, the mechanisms, of cosmic and life evolutions.
Mechanisms do not set/determine the classical physics fate states. Mechanisms are routes of evolution between classical physics fate states. Quantum mechanics are mechanisms, probable, possible and actual mechanisms of getting from one to other classical physics states WITHIN the expanse from cosmic singularity to the maximum expanded universe and back to singularity states.
The universe is the archetype of quantum within classical physics. This is the fractal oneness of the universe. Astronomically there are two physics. A classical Newtonian physics behaviour of and between galactic clusters, and a quantum physics behaviour WITHIN the galactic clusters.
Life's Evolution Is The Quantum Mechanics Of Biology.
UNRAVEL COMPLEXITIES OF GENETICS. Extend Evolution/Natural Selection Backward To Genes/Genomes.
BOTH ARE ORGANISMS.
The origin-reason and the purpose-fate of life are mechanistic, ethically and practically valueless. Life is the cheapest commodity on Earth. Human life is just one of many nature's routes for the natural survival of RNAs, the base Earth organism.
It is up to humans themselves to elect the purpose and format of their life as individuals and as group-members.
Dov Henis
(Comments From 22nd Century)
Inception And Prevalence Of Western Monotheism
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2SF3CJJM5OU6T27OC4MFQSDYEU
=============================
C.
Adaptation And Genetics
Identify USA Science Problems
Enough Is Enough!
Concluding phrase of "A New Evolutionary History of Primates"
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/11031
"genetic underpinnings of human adaptation"
This phrase displays basic ignorance of the relationship between genetics and physiology/system adaptation.
It should be replaced with "adaptation underpinnings of human genetics".
UNRAVEL COMPLEXITIES OF GENETICS.
Extend Evolution/Natural Selection Backward To Genes/Genomes, BOTH ARE ORGANISMS.
IT IS ADAPTATION (CULTURE) THAT INDUCES GENES' EXPRESSION MODIFICATION, NOT GENETICS THAT INDUCES ADAPTATION. Modified genetic expression proceeds to energetically favor/enable adaptation.
Dov Henis
(comments from 22nd century)
Hope For Science?
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2SF3CJJM5OU6T27OC4MFQSDYEU
PS: How have the USA government and nation/public come to allow a plainly obvious ("scientists", whatever it means) trade-union, AAAS, to be involved in a host of national policies and budgets matters? The motives/interests of the AAAS, just another trade-union, are NOT always/necessarily congruent with the nation's/public welfare and it definitely hinders very effectively advancement of basic science...DH
Earth Life Genesis@Aromaticity.Hydrogen Bonding
A.
Purines and pyrimidines are two of the building blocks of nucleic acids. Only two purines and three pyrimidines occur widely in nucleic acids.
B.
Pyrimidine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound similar to benzene and pyridine, containing two nitrogen atoms at positions 1 and 3 of the six-member ring.
A purine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound, consisting of a pyrimidine ring fused to an imidazole ring. Purines, including substituted purines and their tautomers, are the most widely distributed kind of nitrogen-containing heterocycle in nature.
Aromaticity ( Kekule, Loschmidt, Thiele) is essential for the Krebs Cycle for energy production.
(Wikipedia)
C.
Natural selection is E (energy) temporarily constrained in an m (mass) format.
Natural selection is a universal ubiquitous trait of ALL mass spin formats, inanimate and animate.
Life began/evolved on Earth with the natural selection of inanimate RNA, then of some RNA nucleotides, then arriving at the ultimate mode of natural selection – self replication of RNAs. ALL Earth life is evolved RNAs.
Aromaticity enables good constraining of energy and good propensity to hydrogen bonding. The address of Earth Life Genesis, of phasing from inanimate to animate natural selection, is
Aromaticity.Hydrogen Bonding.
Dov Henis (comments from 22nd century)
Update some basic science comprehensions...:
Universe-Energy-Mass-Life Compilation
http://universe-life.com/2012/02/03/universe-energ
A. The Universe
From the Big-Bang it is a rationally commonsensical conjecture that the gravitons, the smallest base primal particles of the universe, must be both mass and energy, i.e. inert mass yet in motion even at the briefest fraction of a second of the pre Big Bang singularity. This is rationally commonsensical since otherwise the Big would not have Banged, the superposition of mass and energy would not have been resolved.
The universe originates, derives and evolves from this energy-mass dualism which is possible and probable due to the small size of the gravitons.
Since gravitation Is the propensity of energy reconversion to mass and energy is mass in motion, gravity is the force exerted between mass formats.
All the matter of the universe is a progeny of the gravitons evolutions, of the natural selection of mass, of some of the mass formats attaining temporary augmented energy constraint in their successive generations, with energy drained from other mass formats, to temporarily postpone, survive, the reversion of their own constitutional mass to the pool of cosmic energy fueling the galactic clusters expansion set in motion by the Big Bang.
B. Earth Life
Earth Life is just another mass format. A self-replicating mass format. Self-replication is its mode of evolution, natural selection. Its smallest base primal units are the RNAs genes.
The genesis of RNAs genes, life’s primal organisms, is rationally commonsensical thus highly probable, the “naturally-selected” RNA nucleotides. Life began/evolved on Earth with the natural selection of inanimate RNA, then of some RNA nucleotides, then arriving at the ultimate mode of natural selection, self-replication.
C. Know Thyself. Life Is Simpler Than We Are Told
The origin-reason and the purpose-fate of life are mechanistic, ethically and practically valueless. Life is the cheapest commodity on Earth.
As Life is just another mass format, due to the oneness of the universe it is commonsensical that natural selection is ubiquitous for ALL mass formats and that life, self-replication, is its extension. And it is commonsensical, too, that evolutions, broken symmetry scenarios, are ubiquitous in all processes in all disciplines and that these evolutions are the “quantum mechanics” of the processes.
Human life is just one of many nature’s routes for the natural survival of RNAs, the base primal Earth organisms.
Life’s evolution, self-replication:
Genes (organisms) to genomes (organisms) to monocellular to multicellular organisms:
Individual monocells to cooperative monocells communities,“cultures”.
Monocells cultures to neural systems, then to nerved multicellular organisms.
Human life is just one of many nature’s routes for the natural survival of RNAs, the base Earth organism.
It is up to humans themselves to elect the purpose and format of their life as individuals and as group-members.
Dov Henis (comments from 22nd century)
An Embarrassingly Obvious Theory Of Everything
cool
New Era For Science Including Genomics ???
From: Dov Henis
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2012 10:43 PM
To: genome biologists
Subject: A new era for science including genomics ??? Please examine carefully…
Yesterday, SN , after many years of refusing my similar postings, SN posted my following statement-comment:
http://www.sciencenews.org/index/generic/activity/
Biorhythms Schmiorythms
Circadian Schmircadian sleep origin?
Life sleeps because RNAs genesized, evolved from inanimate nucleotides into self-replicating nucleotides, organisms, of course long before metabolism evolved. They were then active ONLY during sunlight hours. Thus sleep is inherent for RNAs, even though, being ORGANISMS, they later adapted to when/extent sleep times are feasible just as we adapt to jetlag or night work time.
Dov Henis (comments from 22nd century)
Apr. 12, 2012 at 9:10am
===========================
From: Dov Henis
Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2012 9:05 AM
To: genome biologists
Subject: FW: A new era for science including genomics ??? Please examine carefully…
Unbelievable?! Here’s another one…
From: Dov Henis
Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2012 9:06 PM
To: ‘editors@sciencenews.org’
Subject: On Pavlov and genes…
Fatty Diet Leads To Fat-Loving Brain Cells
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/339458/
Learn from Pavlov:
Fatty diet lead to fat-loving RNA-nucleotides genes, Earthlife base primal ORGANISMS.
Dov Henis (comments from 22nd century)
http://universe-life.com/2011/12/22/rnas-are-earth
===================
Since the above two statements are basis for the following statement, may it also soon pass the SN “peer review”… ?!
USA Science? Re-Comprehend Origins And Essence
• Higgs Particle? Dark Energy/Matter? Epigenetics? All YOK!
• Earth-life is just another, self-replicating, mass format.
• All mass formats follow natural selection, i.e. intake of energy or their energy taken in by other mass formats.
• Evolution Is The Quantum Mechanics Of Natural Selection.
• Quantum mechanics are mechanisms, possible or probable or actual mechanisms of natural selection.
• Life’s Evolution is the quantum mechanics of biology.
• Every evolution, of all disciplines, is the quantum mechanics of the discipline’s natural selection.
See:
Update Concepts-Comprehension…
http://universe-life.com/2011/12/13/21st-century-s
Earth life genesis from aromaticity-H bonding
http://universe-life.com/2011/09/30/earthlife-gene
Universe-Energy-Mass-Life Compilation
http://universe-life.com/2012/02/03/universe-energ
Seed of human-chimp genome diversity
http://universe-life.com/2011/07/10/seed-of-human-
============
Respectfully,
Dov Henis (comments from 22nd century)
Lady_E Level 7 Commenter 2 years ago
This is an interesting perspective about the origin of life. I would like to know a bit more, so I'll do some googling. Thanks for sharing. :)