We may all be space aliens

[Alistar7]

Text

PARIS (AFP) - Genetic material from outer space found in a meteorite in Australia may well have played a key role in the origin of life on Earth, according to a study to be published Sunday.

European and US scientists have proved for the first time that two bits of genetic coding, called nucleobases, contained in the meteor fragment, are truly extraterrestrial.

Previous studies had suggested that the space rocks, which hit Earth some 40 years ago, might have been contaminated upon impact.

Both of the molecules identified, uracil and xanthine, "are present in our DNA and RNA," said lead author Zita Martins, a researcher at Imperial College London.

RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is another key part of the genetic coding that makes up our bodies.

These molecules would also have been essential to the still-mysterious alchemy that somehow gave rise, some four billion years ago, to life itself.

"We know that meteorites very similar to the Murchison meteorite, which is the one we analysed, were delivering the building blocks of life to Earth 3.8 to 4.5 billion years ago," Martins told AFP in an interview.

Competing theories suggest that nucleobases were synthesised closer to home, but Martins counters that the atmospheric conditions of early Earth would have rendered that process difficult or impossible.

A team of European and US scientists showed that the two types of molecules in the Australian meteorite contained a heavy form of carbon -- carbon 13 -- which could only have been formed in space.

"We believe early life may have adopted nucleobases from meteoric fragments for use in genetic coding, enabling them to pass on their successful features to subsequent generations," Martins said.

If so, this would have been the start of an evolutionary process leading over billions of years to all the flora and fauna -- including human beings -- in existence today.

Interesting study, especially considering the possibility that one common set of genetic coding might be prevelant in the universe.

 

[Oceandevi]

life seeding
for food or friends?

 

[lokiju]

Interesting indeed.

 

[ja1484]

Fine by me, but when's the mothership coming back? I've just about had enough of the morons on this rock.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Oceandevi
life seeding
for food or friends?

Actually, both

 

[Perknose]

Damn us aliens! Daaaaamn us!!!

Taking all the good jobs and choice real estate from the native life forms!

Why don't we just go back where we belong? :|

 

[Excelsior]

This is very interesting.

 

[nakedfrog]

I have this mental picture of god as the typical old man in white robes holding the meteor in his hand up in the clouds, doing a big old pitcher's wind-up, and hurling it down onto the planet

 

[HannibalX]

How do we know the meteorite didn't just crush a group of people on impact?

 

[Rubycon]

Much more leech than seed. Oh wait that is something else.

 

[Oceandevi]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
Much more leech than seed. Oh wait that is something else.

who lets pRon seed? somebody might see it!!1

 

[arkcom]

It would kinda suck if Scientologists are actually right...

 

[irishScott]

I'm not really that surprised. It's kinda like aliens. There's a good probability that they're out there, but a very low probability of us making contact with them in the near future. It's been theorized/known for a while that comets contain organic compounds. Sooner or later something like this was bound to show up IMO, we just got lucky.

Note: This is going off the knowledge of a 100 level Geology class that focused on Asteroids, Comets, Planets and Impacts. Take it with as large a grain of salt as you wish.

 

[n7]

:Q

 

[effowe]

This idea has been around for a while, it's called Panspermia, it's also known as Exogenesis.

Panspermia (Gk. p??/p?? (pas/pan, all) sp??µa (sperma, seed)) is the hypothesis that "seeds" of life exist already all over the Universe, that life on Earth may have originated through these "seeds", and that they may deliver or have delivered life to other habitable bodies.

Exogenesis (Gk. "outside origin") is a more limited hypothesis that proposes life on Earth was transferred from elsewhere in the Universe but makes no prediction about how widespread it is. Because the term "panspermia" is more well-known, it tends to be used in reference to what would properly be called exogenesis.

 

[Howard]

Doesn't really give us a final answer.

 

[Rubycon]

This thread has just crossed into the Twilight Zone. :Q

 

[randay]

considering how planets are formed i dont see what the big deal is? everything that is, is because of some kind of wonderous circumstance that our tiny little minds usually find impossible.