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Hitchhiking Through the Galaxy

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The idea, in a broader context known as panspermia, has been around for quite some time: what if life on earth originated in space and organisms were carried to our planet aboard meteorites? A new device is being currently developed in Massachusetts that could help bring more evidence to the forefront for what some scientists back as a plausible theory.

On future Mars missions, an instrument called SETG (which stands for 'Search for Extra-Terrestrial Genomes') would drill the red planet’s surface for soil samples. From those samples, the researchers would hope to isolate living microbes, or microbial remnants. Such biochemical palimpsests can be preserved for about up to a million years and still contain viable DNA. Forensic analyses could discover genetic sequences that are common in existing life forms on Earth.

If successful, this quest would not only advance scientific endeavors considerably, but also alter our self-perception. It would be proven that we have a familial relationship with distant ancestors in the universe.

Mars has recently been in the focus of cosmic archeology. Earlier studies showed that life did exist there, and that the planet named after the Roman god of war once offered abundant water supplies. Further it is believed that way back in times of a fledgling solar system, the climates on Mars and Earth were decisively more similar than they are today. Life forms that sprang on one planet may have prevailed on the other.

The team working on the SETG prototype include researchers from MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, as well as molecular biologists from Harvard. They estimate it could take another two years until completion. In the meantime, we can space out about the thought that our most primordial ancestors were enduring warriors from Mars who hitchhiked through the galaxy until they landed on Earth’s surface and spread out here.

Image: "Mars, once" by Kevin Dooley  on Flickr courtesy of Creative Commons Licensing

Comments

Mars Dream

Cool article, makes me think of a dream I had a few weeks ago where I was aboard a spaceship to Mars. As I approached arrival I saw trees, bushes, and flowers coming from a large hangar. I remember saying, "I didn't know Mars had life" whereby the others I was on board with laughed as if everyone knew. Which makes me curious, what have the cosmic archeologists found so far?

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Hi Osirian Dawn, thanks for

Hi Osirian Dawn, thanks for your comment. Basically, the most important finding was that Mars once had abundant water supplies, and other conditions that are thought to be essential to support life. Today, the surface of Mars is dry and cold, but researchers believe they have evidence that liquid water may exist below the surface.

The Answer is here

The components of DNA have now been confirmed to exist in extraterrestrial meteorites, researchers announced.

A different team of scientists also discovered a number of molecules linked with a vital ancient biological process, adding weight to the idea that the earliest forms of life on Earth may have been made up in part from materials delivered to Earth the planet by from space.

Past research had revealed a range of building blocks of life in meteorites, such as the amino acids that make up proteins. Space rocks just like these may have been a vital source of the organic compounds that gave rise to life on Earth.

 

 

http://www.space.com/12569-meteorites-dna-building-blocks-discovery.html

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