It's Alive!!! Panspermia and the Possibility of a Living Universe

The theory of "panspermia" rests upon the ability of micro-organisms to survive a fiery passage through earth's atmosphere, and arrive on earth with the ability to reproduce.

....assuming that there are microbes on other planets, Mars for example, would they be able to withstand the pressure that arises when a meteorite crashes into their planet and catapults their rocky UFO into space – a pressure that is 400,000 times higher than that of the Earth’s atmosphere?

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI have systematically investigated this question for the first time: “We simulate the shock wave that occurs when a meteorite crashes into Mars,” says Dr. Ulrich Hornemann, who is in charge of the experiments at the EMI. “To do that, we detonate an explosive cylinder that accelerates a metal plate. This metal plate then hits a steel canister containing two thin stone plates between which there is a thin layer of microbes.”

When the metal plate crashes into the container, a shock wave is generated that passes through the stone plates and the layer of microbes. The astonishing thing is that even at 400,000 times atmospheric pressure, one ten thousandth of the microbes survive the impact of the metal plate; the main reason for this being that the inhospitably high pressure only lasts for a fraction of a second just like the impact of a meteorite.

Because the rocks that are broken off by meteorites usually have small cracks and crevices in them, the experts have also investigated the feasibility of porous rocks as ‘UFOs’. The result: Microorganisms can also survive here. And the small fissures are also advantageous to the tiny organisms in other ways, providing them with protection on their journey through space against UV radiation, solar wind and the icy cold and thus increasing their chances of survival, as the EMI’s project partners at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) found out. “It is therefore possible,” says Hornemann, “that life on Earth came here from other planets.”

Source

Check out more on Panspermia at Wikipedia. Even more at this SciAm article.


It should go without saying that humans have the capability to intentionally seed the universe with life. One way of doing that would be to send out robotic probes and nano-devices to prepare the habitats and life support (energy, air, food, recycling, etc.) for the humans to arrive later. This could be done on moons, planets, asteroids, and cold comets outside the strongest solar wind.

Another, more mischievous and less responsible way to seed the local universe with life, would be to send out engineered microbes. The microbes would initially take the form of inert spores, but would spring into active reproductive mode upon exposure to conditions favorable to life.

Can humans program microbes to recapitulate much of terran evolution? Not now, certainly, but in a few decades? If so, is there anything to be gained by "seeding" the universe in this fashion?

Red Rain over Kerala: New Update from Central Programming?

Of the many theories of the origin of life on earth, one of the most fascinating is the theory of panspermia. Panspermia suggests that life originated outside of earth, and survived passage through outer space, and entry through earth's atmosphere--to seed life on the new planet earth.

A relatively recent earthfall of red cell-like particles over India raises the question again--this time leaving real specimens for scientists to examine.

In April, Louis, a solid-state physicist at Mahatma Gandhi University, published a paper in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Astrophysics and Space Science in which he hypothesizes that the samples—water taken from the mysterious blood-colored showers that fell sporadically across Louis’s home state of Kerala in the summer of 2001—contain microbes from outer space.

Specifically, Louis has isolated strange, thick-walled, red-tinted cell-like structures about 10 microns in size. Stranger still, dozens of his experiments suggest that the particles may lack DNA yet still reproduce plentifully, even in water superheated to nearly 600˚F. (The known upper limit for life in water is about 250˚F.) So how to explain them? Louis speculates that the particles could be extraterrestrial bacteria adapted to the harsh conditions of space and that the microbes hitched a ride on a comet or meteorite that later broke apart in the upper atmosphere and mixed with rain clouds above India. If his theory proves correct, the cells would be the first confirmed evidence of alien life and, as such, could yield tantalizing new clues to the origins of life on Earth. Source.

Panspermia developed a touch of giggle-factor when Hoyle and Wickramasinghe blamed extraterrestrial viruses for flu epidemics. But it has come back into fashion of late, and proponents argue there's plenty of evidence for it. Experiments have shown that some tough bacteria can survive for years in space, despite the extreme cold and high levels of radiation. Others have proved that some of these bugs could survive the high-speed collisions that they would experience if they slammed into the Earth on a comet.

The idea of primitive microbes flying around the solar system in its early days is not as wild as it seems. "Most of the rocks near the surface of the Earth are shot through with microbial life. It would be a fairly simple thing for a little piece of the crust to be ejected and life survive and land somewhere else," says Walker. On balance, he says, he'd bet that life began here on Earth. But he wouldn't be that surprised if evidence emerged that life started somewhere else and was delivered to Earth by a hunk of space rock. Source.

These red cell-like specimens measure very close to the size of a human red blood cell. Their seeming ability to reproduce by budding is not at all erythrocyte-like, however. Further study in more modern research laboratories may provide more information.

A number of blog reports have covered this topic, including here and here.
These micro-particles are unlikely to be a threatening form of Andromeda Strain, but a certain amount of caution in dealing with unexplained phenomena is warranted.

Perhaps the United Nations could dispatch a special team of scientists to Kerala to observe the local population for anomalies, such as extra eyes, arms, or sensory organs of unknown type?

Ingredients of Life Circling Distant Star

Where did life come from? This is an artist's impression of the makings of a solar system, before the planets have condensed.

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope surveyed 100 young stars in the constellation Ophiuchus. Out of the 100, one star contained hydrogen cyanide and acetylene in its orbiting cloud of matter. These molecules combined with water can make a few different amino acids plus the nucleic acid adenine. Of course these molecules are plentiful on other planets of our own solar system, but is it not interesting that only one out of one hundred young earth-like stars had enough of these elements to be detected from this far away? Put this star at the top of the list, for checking in on in a few million years.

The origins of life are mysterious. The most likely scenario is that life originated on this planet, from unknown precursors, by unknown mechanisms. Also possible is that life originated elsewhere, and was transplanted to earth via space debris or comet/asteroid collision. Spores and other environment resistant microbes can survive the extreme cold and vacuum of space, our own space program has demonstrated that.

Life is one way for matter to organise itself. As long as a reliable energy source is available, with the right raw materials and water, life may eventually develop. Intelligent life is an entirely different matter, and much less likely to evolve and survive.