The earth may seed life onto other planets
Discussion
Dinosaur-killing comet ejected life-bearing rocks into space
I remember being taught in school one of the theories was that life started on earth via comets and the teacher made it clear this was preposterous. I thought it sounded great, a dinosaur riding a comet in a Dr Strangelove style
I do like the theory that earth has potentially seeded life onto other planets though.
I remember being taught in school one of the theories was that life started on earth via comets and the teacher made it clear this was preposterous. I thought it sounded great, a dinosaur riding a comet in a Dr Strangelove style
I do like the theory that earth has potentially seeded life onto other planets though.
I have two problems with this. Could the impact have thrown rocks out at speeds beyond escape velocity? And if so, would they not be so hot that any trace of life/protein/DNA be burned to a crisp?
The article states 'In particular, they calculate how much would have ended up in other places that seem compatible for life: the Jovian moon Europa, the Saturnian moon Enceladus, and Earth-like exoplanets orbiting other stars.' But these places are (possibly) compatible with life not because a few rocks from Earth may have landed on them, but because of their position and geology. Debris from Earth - if there was any - would have landed equally well on places NOT compatible with life too - so that angle is a logic fail IMHO. But it's the sort of thing that reads well if you don't think too hard.
The article states 'In particular, they calculate how much would have ended up in other places that seem compatible for life: the Jovian moon Europa, the Saturnian moon Enceladus, and Earth-like exoplanets orbiting other stars.' But these places are (possibly) compatible with life not because a few rocks from Earth may have landed on them, but because of their position and geology. Debris from Earth - if there was any - would have landed equally well on places NOT compatible with life too - so that angle is a logic fail IMHO. But it's the sort of thing that reads well if you don't think too hard.
Use Psychology said:
several organisms have been taken into low earth orbit and exposed unshielded to the hard vacuum of space, some bacteria and also those sea monkey things can survive this and still reproduce.
- after being brought back into Earth conditions though. Not quite the same as being blasted into space on a red hot lump of rock and then breeding on Mars.
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